


Paper Clouds

by miavortice



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Paranormal, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-29 03:35:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 164,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17800334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miavortice/pseuds/miavortice
Summary: AU: No War/No Air Nomad GenocideWhen Katara was 4, she couldn't handle the 'gift' the spirits gave her, so her grandparents had it sealed to keep her from losing her mind. Years later, the seal is fading & the Avatar refuses her request to seal it once more. To Zuko, her gift means finding his mother's killer. To Katara, being able to see the dead is no gift at all, but finds herself more willing to use it.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Repost of my ff.net fic "Paper Clouds" to AO3.

_Northern Water Tribe, 15 Years Earlier_

"But there must be something you can do!" Her step-grandfather sounded both furious and desperate as she huddled in the waiting room, sitting across her grandmother's lap while burying her face in the old woman's thick blue coat. "She can't go on like this! She's just a child! It'll drive her mad!"

Small, gloved hands curled into the old woman's clothes as a gentle hand stroked the top of her head. Katara refused to look away from her grandmother. If she did, she'd see _them_. Most of the time, they'd be harmless: simply standing there or moving in silence. Time and time again, she had been told that they couldn't hurt her.

At least not directly.

But they seemed to know that she was looking at them and they would turn to meet her gaze. There were a few that would simply smile. There were others who would be drawn to her, extending their hands and asking her to help them or worse – come with them.

She was four years old, not even five yet. What could a child like her do for the dead?

"I'm sorry, Master Pakku," an elderly man said as the former Northern Water Tribe resident was escorted out of the back room by an uncertain tribe elder. "What she sees is a gift from the spirits. It is not something we mortals can take away."

Katara shut her eyes tightly. She hated it when they called it a 'gift'. Gifts were pleasant. What was so pleasant about seeing ghosts everywhere?

"A gift, you say," Pakku scoffed as he stood beside his wife and the little blue bundle on her lap. He shot a glare at the other elder. "You are not the one who wakes up screaming." He turned to the child and gathered her in his arms. "Come, Katara. We will find help elsewhere."

Her grandmother was more considerate, though equally disappointed. She rose from her seat and gave the elder a small bow of her head. "Thank you for seeing us, Elder Thurik; however, if you are not even willing to hear out the child herself in these matters, perhaps you should reconsider your position as a spiritual guide for our people."

The elder looked affronted, but said nothing as the old couple walked out of his hut and into the street.

"Honestly, Kanna, I cannot believe they allowed him to be an elder!" Pakku fumed as he marched forward, holding the child against him determinedly. "I don't even think he took us seriously!"

"Very few have heard, let alone understand Katara's situation," Kanna replied solemnly. "It took us a while to realize it ourselves."

Pakku lowered his eyes sadly. He and Kanna were recently married, although once betrothed when they were younger. She had left before the marriage could be made and it wasn't until years later, after an entire lifetime, did they meet again in the Southern Water Tribe. Kanna was a widow; she had a son, a daughter-in-law who was pregnant, and a grandson at the time.

Pakku was a strict, single old waterbending master who had been asked to instruct some more formal classes in the sister tribe. They had reunited and had fallen in love. While it took some time for Kanna's son, the current elected chief of the Southern Tribe to warm up to him, Pakku had been generally accepted. Being more a waterbender than a warrior, he had been a bit awkward around Kanna's non-bending grandson, Sokka, though he was fond of the boy and admired his earnest to learn. Kanna's granddaughter – his granddaughter, Katara, however, was his little princess.

He had been there when she was born. He had seen her take her first steps. He had been there the first time she waterbended, albeit accidentally. To Katara, Pakku was the only grandfather she'd known.

That was why it killed him just as much as it did the rest of her blood-related family to hear her screaming at night, crying for 'them' to leave her alone. As a baby, she would look past those around her. She would look at something or someone who wasn't there. When she began to talk, they would hear her speaking to herself. When they asked about it, she would say she was talking to 'them'.

They slowly came to the understanding that Katara didn't just see what everyone else saw. She could see the dead that still clung to life on the mortal plane. She saw,  _heard_  them as clearly as she did her own living family and  _couldn't tell the difference_. She would watch something and start screaming or crying. She would have nightmares of what she saw. She would open her eyes and see _them_  staring back at her.

"Grandpa," he heard her small voice whisper against him. Her arms were around his neck and he was carrying her in front of him. Her head was rested on his right shoulder and her wide eyes were fixed behind them, looking at the canal. Her voice was trembling. "Grandpa, there's someone in the water!"

His eyes widened as he turned around. Kanna looked confused and turned to follow his gaze. Their eyes looked over the canal they had been walking beside. A few people were on either side, but no one was in the water.

Sniffling was heard as the child began rubbing her eyes. "Katara," Kanna said softly, looking pained. "Katara, don't look." There was not much else they could tell her.

It was too late; she had already seen it. Katara was shaking her head and squirming in her grandfather's arms. "Gran-Gran, Grandpa, do something!" she cried as she tried to wiggle away. "Bend him out, Grandpa! Can't you see him!?"

"Katara! Wait!" Pakku tried to keep hold of her, but the child wedged herself away and slipped out of his arms. She landed on the snow packed ground and was quickly back on her feet. "Katara!"

"Katara, stop!" her grandmother called out.

The child was stumbling towards the canal. "Someone help him!" she shouted.

"Katara!" Pakku sent out a water whip, quickly wrapping around the child and holding her back before she found herself falling into the canal. "Katara! There isn't anyone there!"

"Yes, there is!" Katara cried as she tried to reach forward. She used her meager bending to loosen the whip just enough for her to slip through. "He needs help!"

A small part of her knew her grandfather was telling the truth; that there really wasn't anyone there. Regardless, she could see him. She could see the teen boy yelling, his face turning colors as he struggled to stay afloat. His clothes were heavy; they were dragging him down. She could hear the splashing as he choked on the water, trying to call for help.

She could see his expression twisted with panic as he screamed and screamed. His arms were flailing, growing weaker by the second as his energy ran out. Part of her knew he was already gone, but she couldn't dismiss what she saw so easily.

"Katara!" Her grandmother's gloved hands covered her wet eyes as she was pulled back from the edge of the canal.

The crying sound was hers now. This wasn't the first time she had seen something like this. She hated it when she watched someone die. She hated it when she could almost feel them in front of her and knowing that she couldn't save them. No matter what others told her – that those she saw were already dead and weren't really there, it never changed the fact that she would watch them die as if they were real, living people right before her eyes.

Her grandfather picked her up and held her against him. "It's alright, Katara," he told her softly. He looked at his wife. "Perhaps, we should go back for the day?"

Kanna nodded. "The Northern Tribe is older than the Southern one," she said quietly. "There is a longer…history here."

"Keep your eyes closed," Pakku urged as they began their walk towards his house. "Don't look any more, Katara. He is already gone."

She grit her teeth as she shut her eyes tight. She knew the boy was already dead. Katara could still feel the warm tears sliding down her flushed face. Knowing what she did would not change how her heart ached.

"She's just a child," Kanna whispered sadly as she reached up and stroked her granddaughter's hair. "How unfair are the spirits to burden such a small one with such heavy sight."

The walk back to Pakku's house felt long as Katara remained carried, her eyes still closed. If they remained closed, she couldn't see or hear them. Their voices, their screams, and cries were drowned out when she couldn't see them, but she couldn't walk around with her eyes shut the rest of her life.

"Is that Kanna?" a warm voice asked. Despite her grandfather's words, Katara turned her head towards the voice and opened her eyes.

"I recognize that hairstyle anywhere," her grandmother's pleased voice said as she moved forward to greet a gray-haired woman waiting at Pakku's doorstep. "Yugoda!"

"Kanna!" A small part of the child was relieved. If her grandmother could see people in front of her, then they weren't ghosts.

As the two old women embraced, Katara heard Pakku let out an exasperated sight. "Grandpa," she asked quietly. "Friends?"

"One of Gran-Gran's old friends," Pakku replied lamely. "They used to go everywhere together."

"I've heard all about your marriage to Pakku!" Yugoda laughed. "Who would've thought that the trip he didn't want to take would bring him back to you!"

"Yugoda!" Pakku frowned. "I never said I didn't want to go!"

"It was all we heard," Yugoda snorted as she gave Kanna a slight elbow to the side. "He claimed it was torture to make an old man go on such a voyage."

Kanna laughed. "Well, you must tell more inside! Come! I would also like to introduce you to my granddaughter."

"Ah, is this her?" Yugoda asked as she approached the little girl in Pakku's arms. Katara tried to meet Yugoda's warm smile with one of her own. It was all right to speak to this person; this person was alive.

"My name is Katara," the child said hopefully. "You know Gran-Gran and Grandpa?"

"Yes, my dear," Yugoda smiled. "My name is Yugoda and it is a pleasure to meet you."

Katara smiled widely. "It's a pleasure to meet you, too!" Her eyes moved just to Yugoda's side. "What is your name?"

Pakku's eyes widened. Kanna took in a sharp breath. Yugoda's brows furrowed and looked over her shoulder, who where Katara was looking. She had come alone. Her brows furrowed. "Katara?"

"Let's go inside," Pakku said as he brushed past Yugoda. "Quickly."

Yugoda tilted her head to the side, confused. Kanna grasped her arm. "Come, Yugoda," she said. "There is something we should tell you about Katara."

* * *

The old woman's eyes looked sadly at the little girl sleeping beneath some furs across the room. She had heard about Pakku getting married and about his new family, including that he and Kanna had a new granddaughter, but she never knew about what plagued the child.

"And she has always seen them?" Yugoda asked quietly.

"Since she was born," Kanna replied. "They do not appear as shadows to her, but as real people. She sees them like I can see you."

"She cries because she can't help them. She cries because they know she sees them and they ask for her help. It is extremely confusing for her, to see them as she sees everyone else," Pakku added. "We brought her to the Northern Tribe hoping to find someone who can seal this vision, so she would not have to keep watching the dead die or come to her and twist her reality."

"Unfortunately, none of the healers in the Southern Tribe could do anything for her and all the ones we've asked here are the same," Kanna said, sadly. She looked back at her sleeping granddaughter, watching as Katara tossed in her sleep. "If she keeps seeing the dead and cannot tell if they are alive or not, she will be unable to figure out what is really there and what isn't, and we fear for her."

A small whimper came from Katara as she turned in her sleep. Kanna put down cup and moved across the room to her granddaughter's side.

"We're not sure who else to go to," Pakku admitted. "But we know that if this continues-"

"Stop!" a shriek came from the child and Yugoda jumped. Pakku didn't seem surprised by the outburst as Kanna began trying to wake Katara. "Let me go! Leave me alone!"

"If this continues," the old man said sadly. "Katara will lose her mind."

* * *

_Southern Air Temple, 15 Years Later_

They grabbed at her, tugging her in multiple directions as she tried to fend them off with her arms.  _Follow us_ , they told her.  _Help me_ , they begged. She could feel them all around her, the pressure of spirits against her, making it difficult for her to breathe.

Who said they couldn't hurt her?

She had almost forgotten all those times she woke up in tears as a child, fighting off the spirits that visited her. She was shaking, crying, kicking and screaming; desperate to get them away from her because she knew they weren't there and there was nothing she could do to help them. Why couldn't they leave her alone?

This time, she could see herself being drawn forward, towards glowing orange light and heat. A fire? She heard yelling from within and the faint crackle of wood being consumed by flames. Instinct told her to turn around and run away from the fire, but she moved forward. Around her, fire began to catch on the tapestries hanging on the high, red walls. Dark colored columns were breaking and smoke filled the air.

She could smell burning clearly and continued to walk. Her eyes focused on a room at the end of the hall. The fire was coming from the doorway, yet she stepped through, seemingly ignoring the flames.

There was a woman crouched against the wall. Fallen columns blocked her way to the doors. Was she still alive? A pair of gold eyes rose and met hers. The realization slammed into her: that woman was already dead.

"No!" Blue eyes flew open as she woke up, tense in the modest bed she had been given. Her shaking hands were above her, her fingers curled into claws. Her heart was slamming against her chest as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She was alone.

Katara took several deep breaths to calm herself. Those dreams were more frequent in recent months. Biting her lips, she lowered her arms to her sides and closed her eyes once more. The thin, orange blanket she was sleeping under had been kicked to the corner of the bed.

That was right, she told herself. She wasn't back in the Southern Water Tribe any longer…not since she began to see things again. She tilted her head back and felt the cushions of the bed beneath her, but not her pillow. Katara turned her head to the side and saw the object on the floor. Obviously, she had been tossing in her sleep again.

She lifted her hand and ran it down her face, wiping off the thin layer of sweat before forcing herself up. She glanced out her window. It was already morning, although the sun was still barely rising. She could see a thin sliver of orange in the horizon. That meant that the monks would be up soon.

Katara looked around the small room she had been given. It had a bed and a small table, where she had put her bag, and a chair, from where her water skin hung, but other than that, the Southern Air Temple's pilgrimage rooms were bare. She supposed it made sense, since they were monks, but it was still a surprise; the temple itself seemed far from plain the first time she had seen it.

Quietly, she rose from her bed and put on her usual clothes. She wanted to get to bathroom before the other visitors to the temple awoke and while she still had some privacy. She grabbed her water skin and slung it around her before slipping out of her room.

From the sound of her lone footsteps across the halls leading to the open area, she figured everyone else was still asleep. There had to have been at least a dozen or so other guests at the temple aside from her. After all, the Southern Air Temple was where the eighteen-year-old Avatar was and he was the one she had come to see.

There were few that knew of her special ability. One of those who knew was the woman who had sealed it when she was a child. Her memories of the ceremony were vague, but she remembered being taken to the Northern Water Tribe's main city. There, they followed her grandmother's friend to the Spirit Oasis, where Yugoda, a master waterbending healer, had dipped her in the pool and pleaded for the spirits to close her eye.

After that, she stopped seeing the dead. No more ghosts. No more deaths. No more night terrors pleading for aid. For the first time since she could remember, she could look out at her tribe and know that everyone she saw was a living, breathing human.

She was  _normal_.

Playing with her brother without distraction had been a welcomed change. She was able to focus on her bending, on her studies, on her responsibilities as a tribe member and the chief's daughter.

Unfortunately, her seal wouldn't last. Yugoda had told them that it was only temporary; she couldn't stop Katara from seeing beyond what was physically there forever. Eventually, the seal would fade and the young waterbender would see them once more.

Fifteen years had passed and soon, she would turn twenty. She was already an adult, as far as her tribe was concerned. She was not engaged, thanks to being allowed to train with her grandfather, thus becoming the youngest waterbending master they could remember, but she was still deeply involved with the politics of her tribe.

It was not abnormal to accompany her father on trips abroad. She was on informal terms with Princess Yue and Princess Azula and looked forward to one day working with them.

Then, on her most recent trip to the Fire Nation, she began to see things. Azula liked to bend with her; both were prodigies in their respective element and the Fire Nation Princess took great pleasure in having someone to 'play with on equal mastery'. One afternoon, while their fathers were in a meeting with some delegates from the Southern Earth Kingdom, she shielded what she thought were children crossing their training grounds.

Katara had nearly been electrocuted and Azula angrily asked why she had lost concentration. That wasn't like her. When Katara tried to explain about the children, there were none to be had. It must've been a trick of her mind, they both had assumed. After all, Katara had just arrived that day; she was probably just tired.

It wouldn't be the last time. Katara began to see people where Azula didn't. And on one trip outside the palace to visit one of Azula's friends, Katara saw someone falling from tower. She ran after them and when she got to the base of the tower, there was no one.

Ty Lee had told her about a young noblewoman once committed suicide from that tower when her lover was killed. She had jumped off the tower.

Katara asked to return home immediately, but one more night was all she needed. She had gone to bed and when she woke up, she was in another room, being shaken awake by Azula. The dream she had since then had been reoccurring more and more often, even after she left the Fire Nation.

Her grandparents had deduced that the seal Yugoda had pleaded for was fading and that soon, Katara would see  _them_  again. That had been four months earlier.

She raised her eyes as she looked ahead of her. She was starting to question who was there and who wasn't. Katara shook her head and ran her hand down her face. She had to focus and to rationalize what she saw. Those who had already passed did not interact with those who couldn't' t seem. They were the odd ones out. That was how she could tell.

The difficult part of that came when there was no one else around.

Her feet came to a stop at the archway that led into an open area, where numerous fountains for cleansing, washing, and drinking were located. It was the first stop for pilgrims who had arrived. It was where they would refresh themselves and fill up their water canisters before they left.

In the mornings, pilgrims would go and wash their faces at the fountains. That early in the morning, she didn't expect someone to already be up.

Pale hands were dunked into one of the fountains before quickly being brought up, cupping water. The liquid was splashed up, hitting the face of a man bent forward as he seemed to wash his face and neck.

He relished the cool water against his flushed skin as he leaned over the edge of the stone fountain. He couldn't sleep that night and hoped that bending would tire him out. Before he knew it, it was dawn and he hadn't gotten any sleep.

He ran a hand down his face and reached for his discarded shirt that he had tossed on to the side of the fountain. Before he could grab it, he felt the eyes on him and lifted his head.

Dark hair, dark skin, blue eyes and blue clothes; she was from the Water Tribe. His gold eyes met hers defiantly and waited for her to say something. Instead, she stood there, frozen beneath the arch, as wide blue eyes seemed to stare at him uncertainly.

His eyes narrowed and he tore them away from hers. "Is there something I can help you with?" he asked. His voice sounded colder than he thought it would. He grabbed his shirt and used it as a towel, wiping his face, neck, and bare chest with it. She didn't answer and he looked back at her. She seemed tense. He frowned. He knew what got her. "I got the scar in an accident," he said quickly as he turned his head away. "I'm used to it, but that doesn't mean you can stare."

Katara blinked. Scar? She hadn't even been paying attention to the scar. As she blinked, she noticed the large, mutilated skin across his left eye. She sucked in a sharp breath and quickly lowered her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she murmured quickly. He was real, or rather, alive. A small part of her couldn't find anything off about him. She turned her head away. "I wasn't staring at that, I was just…."  _Wondering if you were a dead or not._  Katara grimaced and bowed her head. "Never mind. I'm sorry."

The black-haired man looked back at her and gave a small nod of his head, accepting her apology. He finished wiping his face with his shirt and looked away. "Don't worry about it," he said quietly.

Katara took a deep breath and lifted her head, keeping her eyes away from him as she crossed the fountain area to get to the bathrooms. Nothing more needed to be said between them.

The man with the scar glanced over his shoulder and watched as she headed into the other hall. Just as he was about to return to his room, he heard her gasp.

"Oh, excuse me." He turned around and watched her seem to go around an empty space. His brows knit together.

There was no one else there.

* * *

Five. She could count five of them loitering around the courtyard below the stone steps, where she was sitting. One was a child. He stood to the side, looking at the airbender boys playing games amongst themselves. His head was shaved and his clothes were orange and brown. A large gash marred the side of his bare head. He must've fallen, Katara deduced.

Another was dressed as a monk; his robes wet. A drowning victim, perhaps? He remained standing by a well that had been sealed over and now overgrown with vines. A small smile was on his face as he watched the children play before him. Twice, when the ball had rolled his way and each time it did, it mysteriously rolled back, away from the well.

There were plenty of vengeful ghosts and spirits that still had emotions so powerful, it tied them to earth, but she knew there were good ones. Spirits are not that much different from us, Katara recalled Gran-Gran telling her, there were good ones, as well as not-so-good ones.

The other three didn't seem to be Air Nomads. Perhaps they were pilgrims who had died at the temple? One was a woman who was crying. The last two were men were wounded. Did they just not know they were dead?

The waterbender rested her chin on her knees as she brought her legs up to chest and wrapped her arms around them. They were there, right in front of her, as clear as the monks wandering the gardens or the airbender boys playing in the courtyard, yet, no one else saw them.

"Katara of the Southern Water Tribe?" a voice asked behind her. She lifted her head up and looked over a shoulder. A monk in orange robes smiled warmly at her as he held some papers in one hand.

"Yes," she said as she rose to her feet. "That's me."

The monk nodded. "The Avatar will see you now."

A small breath of relief escaped her lips as she brushed off her clothes and followed behind the monk. It had taken a week for her to get an appointment to see the Avatar. He had been gone when she first arrived to ask for help in sealing her sight, but arrived a few days afterwards. Unfortunately, there were several people before her who had arrived earlier and so an appointment was made, though it would take another few days.

While she wanted to see the Avatar as soon as possible, she was patient. She limited her wanderings to the pilgrimage areas of the temples. She'd seen a handful of spirits, but none had been malicious. Most seemed lost and were wandering. She hadn't witnessed deaths, which relieved her. Katara had also been careful with who she spoke to.

Her sight was not something to brag about and the last thing she wanted was for the others at the temple to wonder if she had lost her mind.

"Avatar Aang will be leaving for the Earth Kingdom soon and his time here is short," the monk leading Katara down the hall told her. "I'm afraid there are still several visitors after you." Of course there were others; the Avatar was a busy young man. He had probably just come home to rest, only to have to deal with those like her who needed his guidance.

"It's alright," Katara assured him. "I only have one request." She just needed him to seal her sight. That was all. Yugoda had been able to do it and she was a simple healer. While no other tribesman had been able to repeat it, Katara had faith that the Avatar could. She wouldn't have troubled him if Yugoda were still alive, but as of right now, he was her best hope.

They reached a set of large double doors and Katara lifted her head, impressed with the size. One of the doors was open and as they got closer, she could hear voices within. One was calm and she could barely hear him. The other was a loud voice, filling the hall behind them.

"There is no one else who'd be able to do that! You must return and press for an investigation!" It was a man's voice and the monk in front of her cringed. He looked over his shoulder and gave Katara and apologetic look.

"Pardon me. Please wait here while I announce you and request for the previous audience to leave," the monk told her as he lingered by the door. Katara nodded and stood in place, peering into the hearing room as the monk entered. "Avatar Aang, your next appointment has arrived."

"Wait a moment!" the man's voice yelled once more. "I'm not through!"

"Zuko, please," the first voice replied, sounding tired. "I told you, such a request is not within my realm. I cannot do as you ask."

"But you are a link between our world and the Spirit World!" whoever 'Zuko' was shouted. "Are you telling me that you can't even lay my mother to rest!?"

Katara's eyes widened. She craned her neck and looked between the doors. A tall man with black hair pulled back into a neat topknot was standing in the center of the room, fuming.

"Avatar Aang," the monk repeated once more. "Katara of the Southern Water Tribe is here," he added, hoping to hint that Zuko's time was over.

The black-haired man in the red clothes shot him a scathing glare. The Avatar let out a sigh. "Zuko, please. There are others who seek my council. Please allow me to speak to them."

"We are not done-"

"Monk Agvan," the Avatar spoke once more. "Please see her in."

"Wait!" The monk returned to the door way and offered Katara a hopeful smile.

"I apologize for the wait, please come in," he said as he bowed and pushed open the door a bit further to let her in. Katara nodded and slipped through the doors. Her eyes were drawn to the angry man standing before the seated Avatar. As she reached them, she saw the scar across his eye and bit her lip. He was the man she had met that morning. Rather and focus on him, she bowed her head respectfully to the Avatar before raising her eyes and meeting his gaze.

"Thank you for taking time to see me, Avatar Aang." She focused her eyes on him. This was her time with him, not the other man's. She had waited days and she was confident that her request would be met. The Avatar was seated on a bright orange cushion, beaming a warm smile as she entered. His eyes crinkled up as he recognized her.

"Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, welcome to the Southern Air Temple," he greeted. "It has been some time since we last met. How is your tribe?" The tension in the room had not dissipated, even at the cheerful greeting. Katara could feel a burning glare coming from her right side, as the previous man who had an audience with the Avatar remained. She resisted the urge to frown. Why was he glaring at her when it was he who intruded on her time? Aang looked over at him despondently. "Zuko, please. I have to speak to other visitors. Your time has ended and I have given you my answer."

"I refuse to leave until I hear a more favorable one," Zuko replied stubbornly as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Aang opened his mouth to reply, only to hear Katara's voice fill the large chamber. "It is fine with me to have him present while I speak to you, Avatar Aang." The gray-eyed young man looked surprised, but nodded.

"Very well," he conceded. "How many I help you, Katara?"

She took a deep breath. Her hands balled at her sides as she lifted her chin. "As a child, I faced an affliction that hindered me; driving me to bursts of emotional fits and an inability to assert reality. When I was four, this affliction was sealed by a healer named Yugoda in the Northern Water Tribe." So far, so good. It didn't sound too crazy. "However, she had told us that the seal was temporary and would fade. I am finding that now, I am starting to see symptoms of that affliction once more." Still sounding sane, she took another deep breath. "Avatar Aang, please reinstate the seal."

The eighteen year old on the cushions furrowed his brows. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he studied her carefully. "Katara, you do not seem to have any physical affliction. In such I case, I am not much of a healer, anyway. I do not sense anything wrong…may I ask," he said as he cocked his head to the side, confused. "What is your affliction?"

She hesitated. A strained look filled her face as she grit her teeth. This was the part where no one would believe her.

"I can see the dead."

She didn't see the man several paces from her snap his head in her direction or his eyes widen at her statement.

Across from them, the bald Avatar drew his head back slowly. His eyes were wide as he sat up straight, surprise written across his face. This wasn't good. She knew it was a difficult thing to believe in the first place, she had been confident that the Avatar of all people would understand. Had she been wrong?

"Katara," he began carefully. "How long have you been able to?"

She wasn't sure how to take his question. "My family says that I was able to see them since birth. I would stare past them, speak to empty spaces, and I remember seeing people – people who no one else could see – since I was a child."

"And Healer Yugoda sealed this ability?" Aang asked curiously. Katara nodded. "How?"

"She took me to the Spirit Oasis in the North Pole. She put me in a pool with fish and prayed for them to block this ability," Katara explained. "I do not remember much after that, but I was no longer faced with such an issue after."

"When did you start…um…seeing…uh," Aang tried to find the right words.

"The dead," Zuko said. Katara turned towards him. His narrowed eyes were boring into her critically. "When did you start seeing the dead again?"

"It started four months ago," Katara answered, her eyes lingering on his before turning back to the Avatar. "I thought I saw some children in front of me, but my companion didn't. At first, we thought it was because I had been traveling and was tired, but it happened again." Her heart clenched and her eyes crinkled. "I saw someone fall from a tower. I rushed to where they had landed and no one was there. There was no body. No blood. No crowds.  _Nothing_ ," she stressed. "I later found out that years ago, there was a suicide there – a woman jumped from the tower."

Aang's lips pursed. Admittedly, it did sound unbelievable, but in his lifetimes, he had seen stranger. Katara was not lying.

"You were born with this ability," he said. Katara nodded. He looked at her quizzically. "Why do you wish to seal it?"

Her eyes widened and she looked at him, as if he were insane. Several paces away, the scarred brunette looked equally surprised at the Avatar's words. Wasn't it obvious why?

"Do you not understand how clearly I see them?" Katara choked out. "They're not shadows or transparent beings, as you hear in children's stories! They're as real, as flesh and blood, to me as you and I are!" she cried out. "When I see them, I don't immediately know they are spirits of the deceased! When I see one cross my path, wounded and bleeding, I think that they truly are. When I saw that woman fall from that tower, I thought a living, breathing human being had fallen! Do you understand how terrifying it is to watch people die in front of me? Over and over and I can't do  _anything_!"

Pain laced her voice and both Zuko and the Avatar were looking at her sadly. Tears rimmed her eyes and Katara wiped frantically at her face. For a moment, they were silent.

The Avatar sank down in his seat, his eyes focused on the ground before him as he concentrated. He slowly swallowed a lump in his throat and raised his eyes. "Katara," he began carefully. "What you can see was something that was given to you by the spirits. It is not something I, even as the Avatar, can take away."

Those words were almost familiar and she closed her eyes tightly. "I am not asking you to rid me of it. I am only asking for you to seal this sight so that I can distinguish living from dead."  _So I can keep my sanity._

The young Avatar took a deep breath. "I cannot do that."

Her head snapped up and wide eyes focused on him. "What do you mean?" she demanded, taking a step forward. "Yugoda was able to seal it! She was just a healer! You're the  _Avatar_! Why can't you!?"

Aang raised his hands to calm her. "It was not Yugoda who sealed your eyes, it was the spirits who resided in that pool," he told her. "All they did was blind your vision just a bit, but it was only a temporary affect, as you know. They did so because you were a child; at the time, you could not handle the gift bestowed upon you."

"Gift?" Katara spat out. "You call this a gift!?" she nearly screamed. "How is watching the deaths of trapped souls over and over again a gift?"

"They are spirits, Katara-"

"I know that, but that doesn't make them any less real to me!" she shouted. She looked at him beseechingly. "When I first see them, I don't know they're human or not!"

Zuko narrowed his eyes. He had recognized her from that morning, at the fountains. She had stopped and stared at him. Was that why? Because she couldn't tell if he was human or not?

Aang squinted. "Does that mean you can figure out if they are or aren't eventually?"

She drew back a bit. "Eventually," she admitted reluctantly. She lowered her eyes. "After a while, you begin to notice that no one else sees them. People react to other people, when they can see them. When they don't look, don't acknowledge, sometimes even walk right through them, you understand that no one sees them, but you."

Zuko looked back at the Avatar. Aang was rubbing his chin thoughtfully as his brows knit together. "Katara," he said softly. "Why do you wish to seal this gift?"

"Haven't I told you already? I can't tell-"

"You can," Aang cut her off. "I believe you can. Maybe not now, but one day, you'll be able to tell immediately." She looked at him and shook her head. "Katara, this is not something that will just go away."

"I know. That is why I ask for a temporary seal-"

"What will that do?" the Avatar asked. "It is temporary. It is a crutch. You'd only be running away from the problem."

Her chest rose and fell with pained breaths. "Then what do you want me to do?" she asked bitterly. "Look like a mad woman, talking to someone who isn't there? Watch deaths be replayed before my eyes? See things in my dreams and wake up screaming every night?"

Aang released a heavy breath. "The best I can do is help you focus on identifying who is living and who is not."

"What!?"

"I cannot take away or block this ability, Katara. It is not within my abilities as the Avatar. If the spirits have given you this vision, they must've done so for a reason," Aang insisted. "I must have faith that there is a reason."

Katara grit her teeth and tightened her first. "I understand," she said in a low voice. She had been too hopeful, too naïve. "You will not help me." She wasn't sure if she was more angry or disappointed. She closed her eyes and gave a stiff bow. "Thank you for your time, Avatar."

"Katara!" She ignored him. She turned around and marched out of the chamber, her eyes crinkled and focused ahead of her as she willed herself not to cry in frustration. Aang slumped back and tilted his head to the ceiling. He let out a heavy breath and closed his eyes. "I'll have to talk to her later," he asserted to himself. He sat up straight and turned to where the other man had been. "Zuko, can we discuss your request later…." He trailed off. The scarred man was gone.

Outside the doors, backtracking towards the pilgrim's dormitory on the other side of the temple compound, Katara refused to look anywhere but directly ahead of her. Silently she berated herself. She had been too foolish. Yes, the Avatar was powerful, but honestly, what gave her the idea that he'd actually have the ability and would be willing to seal it?

Yugoda had already told it was not something they could just stop. Even knowing that, it didn't make the disappointment hurt any less. Her chest ached and she lifted her hand over it. This was it then; she'd be forced to go through the rest of her life unable to tell who was alive and who wasn't. She'd be forced to witness traumatic deaths when she walked down innocent looking streets. She'd be plagued with nightmares where spirits called for her aid.

Her arms wrapped around herself. This wasn't fair. She never asked to see such things. What good could it possibly do her?

"Katara!" she heard her name being called and she turned around. "Excuse me! Wait a moment!" She wiped at her eyes as she saw the black-haired man from the Avatar's hearing chamber jogging towards her. "Your name is Katara, yes?" he asked as he slowed to a stop in front of her.

She drew her head back and nodded. "Is there something I can help you with, Mister…?"

"Zuko," he told her as he gave her a quick bow of his head.

"Zuko, yes…." She bit her lip and turned her head away. "If this is about this morning, as I said before, I am sorry."

"No, it's not about that…well." He lifted a hand and scratched the back of his neck as he looked to the side. "It is." He met her eyes inquisitively. "What you said in the chamber…about what you saw? Were you serious?"

Her lips automatically fell into a frown. Her eyes narrowed into slits as she shot him a glare. "Believe what you want," she spat out as she turned around and began stalking forward once more. "But I know what I see."

Zuko cringed. "I didn't mean it like that," he insisted from behind her as he rushed to keep at her pace. "This morning, you were staring at me. You said that you could tell when someone is alive or not when you notice the reactions of others around them. We were alone in the morning…you were staring at me because you weren't sure, weren't you?"

"I know it sounds ridiculous. I'm not unaware of how much so it does," Katara snapped back. "I don't care if you think I'm crazy, but I don't need this from anyone right now-"

"I believe you." She stopped. Her head turned towards him as he stopped in front of her and met her eyes. "I know you probably don't believe me, but I do."

Her eyes narrowed. "Why," she demanded more than asked. "You have no reason to."

"I do," he told her. "I believe you. I hope you're telling the truth."

"Why would it matter to you?" she hissed. She tried to take a step, but he moved in front of her, a desperate look in his face.

"My mother was murdered." Katara froze. "Several years ago, when I was a boy. I was there, but I don't remember much and she had sent me away before I could see anything, but I know she didn't just die in a fire."

The waterbender looked suspicious. "What does that matter to me?"

"I want to know who killed my mother," he told her. His voice trembled just a bit. "And if you can see the dead, I believe that you may be able to find out who did it."

For a moment, she was angry. Her eyes crinkled up as she clenched her jaw. "Do you think this is a joke?" she spat out furiously. "What do you mean find out who did it? I'm not a detective!" she growled as she sidestepped him.

"I'm not asking you to be a detective!" Zuko said as he turned around. "I just need your help!"

"To do what?" Katara whirled around and glared. "Go to where you think she was killed and hope to find her wandering spirit and ask her who killed her? Do you know what that means? Are you hoping that your mother is still wandering the earth instead of at peace?"

"How can she be at peace if she was murdered!?" Zuko demanded, looking equally angry. "Listen, you have a gift – like the Avatar said! Why don't you use it?"

"To  _your_ benefit," she scoffed.

"I'll make it worth your while," the man insisted, determinedly. "I can take you to the Fire Sages. They're the spiritual leaders of the Fire Nation. They may be able to help you."

" _After_  you use me, you mean," Katara shook her head. "You don't understand what I'll see, do you? At the scene of the murder, _if_  your mother is still there, I won't just see a ghost of a woman, casually waiting to be interviewed. I'll see a  _murder_ scene. I will see, I will hear, I  _live_  the terror of that moment as if it were happening right then and there!" she yelled painfully. Zuko took a step back as his angry expression weakened. "Do you understand now?" Katara choked out. "That's what I'm trying to  _stop_ seeing! To stop  _feeling_! I don't want to feel that pain any more!"

She whirled around and stormed down the hall, leaving the dark-haired man standing alone.

At the other end of the corridor, a pair of gray eyes lowered, saddened.

* * *

It was a gift. She twisted her body around, moving the water around her smoothly with each motion. They told her it was a gift. She moved her arms, bringing the cool liquid around them. How could it possibly be a gift? She grit her teeth and slammed the water back into the ground. Her hand shot to her head and she rubbed her forehead. She couldn't even concentrate on bending over how upsetting the day had been.

"Nice night for some waterbending, huh?" a voice asked behind her. Katara whirled around and saw a tall, orange dressed young man hop down some of the steps, to where she was bending.

She bristled at the sight of him, but forced herself to be civil. "Avatar Aang."

"Just calling me Aang is fine," he told her with a smile. "So…you're bending?"

"I was trying to get my mind off of things," Katara replied as she turned her back to him.

"Oh…," he nodded. "Want to spar?"

"With the Avatar?" she scoffed, looking over her shoulder. "Isn't that a little unfair?"

"I'll just bend water...or any element of your choice," he offered.

"Fine," Katara conceded. She raised her arms, drawing water from the ground where she had allowed it to fall earlier. "Fire."

Aang looked surprised, but nodded. He adjusted his stance, reflecting a familiar firebending position she had seen numerous times. It seemed that the Avatar had lessons in the classic fighting styles. "You start."

The stream of water seemed to come out of nowhere and Aang barely had time to dodge it. His surprise was quickly replaced by determination as he punched his first forwards, moving his arms at a rapid pace to shoot out balls of fire at his opponent.

It was child's play. Katara had 'played' with one of the most gifted firebenders of their generation; a few fireballs were nothing to be afraid of. A quick wall of water easily finished them off. "You're not trying!"

"I'm just warming up!" Aang assured her happily. The spiraling wave of fire that came towards her proved that. Katara bended water around her legs and coasted to the side, avoiding the flames before turning back to retaliate.

Aang was surprisingly fast, but she supposed he had to be. He was the Avatar after all. While he lacked the intense blue fire of the Fire Nation Princess, he had knowledge of her particular bending style. It was a matter of reading and manipulating her movements to counter any attack Katara made.

As a flash of fire barely missed her head, Katara could feel a trickle of sweat slide down her temple. Yes, this was what she needed: something to take her mind off of her situation.

She raised her arms, bending water around her body as she prepared to throw everything she had at the Avatar. She could see him throwing his arms back, about to bring them forward to bring forth another wave of fire.

Then she saw her. Out of the corner of her eye, Katara could see a woman in worn clothing tearfully running out into the courtyard where they were bending. Her eyes went wide. The woman would be in direct line of the Avatar's fire.

"Wait!" Her voice filled the moonlit courtyard as she threw her arms out and circled the woman with a wave of water, desperately hoping that any fire would be blocked by it.

As soon as he heard her voice, Aang threw back his hands, pulling back the fire and allowing it to dispel at his sides rather than in front of it. Wide gray eyes looked panicked, wondering if he had missed something. "What is it!? What's wrong?" Had he gotten a shot in and actually hurt her?

Katara rushed forward. "You almost got her!" she yelled as she drew back her water. "Didn't you see her coming down?"

The Avatar's eyes crinkled up. "See  _who_  coming down?"

"Her!" Katara said, motioning her hands towards the woman now walking at the far end of the courtyard. She didn't seem to pay any attention to them as she looked around, clutching her arms against her chest as tears streamed down her face. "The crying woman!"

Even as she said it, the reality settled in. Aang  _didn't_  see the woman. He couldn't. Katara's face went from irritated to tense in an instant. Her eyes turned back to the woman scurrying around. She recognized her now; that was the ghost in the other courtyard who had been crying. She should've known from the outdated clothes.

Across from her, Aang followed her gaze to an empty spot in the courtyard. Someone was there, his senses  _felt_  it. "What is she doing?" he asked quietly.

"She's crying," Katara replied, unmoving from where she stood. "She's going back and forth," she narrated, her eyes moving as she followed the figure. They squinted. "I think she's searching for something." The Avatar nodded. That was all he needed to know. He walked forward, towards the spot where the ghost must've been and began to look around the ground. Katara's eyes widened. "What are you doing?"

"Helping her look," Aang replied, nonchalantly. "Do you know what she's looking for?" He asked as if he were merely asking her to pass a bowl of fruit across the table.

Katara shook her head. "I don't know! Why would I know?" she choked out. "Avatar-"

"Aang! Just call me Aang!" he reminded her as he reached the bushes at the edge of the courtyard and began ruffling through them, squinting to try to look for anything out of the ordinary.

"You don't know what she's looking for!" Katara called out.

"Did you ask her?" a voice asked behind her. She whirled around and saw the scarred, black-haired man from earlier lingering by the steps.

"What-"

"Did you ask her?" he pressed as he walked forward.

"That's a good idea, Zuko!" Aang beamed from the bushes. He looked back at Katara. "Ask her what she's looking for, Katara!"

"What?" the waterbender stared at him in disbelief. "Are you crazy?"

"You're the one who says she sees ghosts," Zuko reminded her simply. "And you're calling the Avatar crazy?" Her gave him a hardened look before turning back to the woman seemingly wandering before her.

"Ex…excuse me!" This was ridiculous. Katara took a hesitant step closer. "Miss…mam?" What was she supposed to say? "He…hey!" she shouted, quickly clamping her mouth shut. A pair of eyes turned towards her and she froze.

"Katara?" Aang asked as he stepped out of the bushes. He furrowed his brows. "Are you okay?"

Blue eyes were wide, staring directly in front of her as she felt her blood run cold. The woman was staring right back at her. Zuko frowned as he watched her body tense. "Katara," he said. "What do you see?"

"She's look at me," Katara said in a breathless voice. She drew her head back. "She's right in front of me."

"Ask her," Aang urged. "Tell her we can help."

She couldn't move. All she could do was stare back into long dead eyes. She'd met their gazes before, but never as close as the woman was now; less than an arm's length away, looking back at her.

"Katara, don't be afraid," she heard Aang assure her.

"We're right here," Zuko added.

The waterbender's breath was shaky. "What…what are you looking for?" she wheezed out. "We will help you find it."

The crying woman's face seemed to soften. She took a step back and lifted her arm. Katara couldn't move as the ghost's hand rose and seemed to point to the blue choker around Katara's neck before drawing her hand back and motioning back to hers.

"Katara?" Aang called out.

"Her necklace," Katara wheezed. She crinkled her eyes as they looked over the woman's tattered clothes. She could barely make out the work animal skin mixed with the worn woven fabrics. Nomads didn't wear animal skin. Both did the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom citizens didn't wear it to the extent they did. "She's Water Tribe." She was one of her people. Katara caught her breath. She understood. "She's looking for her betrothal necklace." Katara took a step forward. "That's it, isn't it?" she asked the woman earnestly. "You're looking for your betrothal necklace!"

The woman nodded as a tearful smile came to her face.

"So that's what we're looking for!" Aang asserted.

"Something that small can be anywhere here," Zuko frowned as he glanced around the area. "And who knows if it's still in decent condition."

"It doesn't matter about the leather strap," Katara told him. She lifted her chin and tapped the stone hanging from her own necklace. "The pendants are always made out of stone, so it should still be here."

"How are we going to find a single stone…." Zuko's voice trailed off as he caught sight of the Avatar hopping on one leg, trying to remove one of his boots. "What are you doing?"

"I think I can find it!" Aang said as he managed to tug off one of his boots. He dropped it beside him.

Zuko looked at him with a deadpan expression. "Without your boots?"

"Without  _a_  boot," Aang beamed. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Are you sure she dropped it around here, Katara?"

"It's where she was looking," Katara said. "So it's probably the best place to start."

Aang nodded. He lifted his foot and slammed it into the ground. He concentrated, focusing on the vibrations he felt against him. Stones, stones, earth, rocks, that ball the boys were looking for two days earlier….

His eyes shot open and his head turned towards the corner of the courtyard. "There!" he pointed.

"What do you mean?" Zuko asked, confused.

"Is it there?" Katara asked. Even as she said it, the woman was running towards where the Avatar had pointed. Frantically, she looked around.

"It's buried now," Aang said as he grabbed his booth and began tugging it back on. "But it's there. Part of the strap has rotted away-"

"Never mind that," Zuko frowned as he headed towards the corner of the yard. "Katara may be able to see them as if they were still alive, but I doubt they can dig like they were."

"I know, I'm coming!" Aang said as he finally managed to put the boot back on. He followed after Zuko. "I'm going to lift some earth. See if you can find anything!"

"It's dark," Zuko said as he lifted his hand and lit a fire in his palm. Katara jerked her head back. She didn't know he was a bender. "Go ahead!"

Aang nodded and stomped his foot on the floor before raising his fist. A chunk of earth rose in the air and Zuko knelt down moving the fire over the spot.

Katara could see the woman trying to get closer. "Wait," she called out. Zuko looked over his shoulder. "No, not you," she said. " _Her_."

"Right…." He turned back to the dirt.

"He'll get it for you," Katara told the woman as she approached her. "Don't worry, Aang says it's here."

"Found something!" Katara couldn't help the excitement that filled her as she turned her attention to the black haired man. A small smile seemed to tug at his lips as he held up a worn, ripped piece of leather. Caked with dirt and some rust was an oval shaped, blue stone still attached.

Katara bent some water from a puddle on the ground and wrapped it around her hand. She slowly cupped the stone and allowed the water to wash away the dirt, revealing the shining object underneath. Aang slowly returned the earth back into place as Zuko handed the remains of the necklace to Katara.

"Is this it?" she asked the crying woman as she held it up. For a moment, Katara forgot that the woman was no longer alive. Shaking hands reached for the necklace as a relieved smile finally graced a tear-streaked face. As her fingertips touched the stone, she began to disappear. Katara's eyes widened. "What…."

The two men watched as Katara's head tilted upwards. The loops framing her face wavered in a brief breeze as her eyes watched something they couldn't see. Aang closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Is she gone?" Zuko asked after a moment of silence.

Katara's hand closed around the stone. "Yeah," she whispered as her eyes closed. "Now she can rest."

* * *

"During the period of Avatar Yangcheng, a massive glacier broke off in the South Pole and collided with one of the Water Tribe villages there," one of the monks said as he stood on a ladder and rummaged through the piles and piles of scrolls in one of the many libraries at the temple. Aang was on the other side, checking the archives on the other wall. "Tribal Elders were concerned about safety, so they evacuated several surrounding villages. A few refugees were housed here temporarily."

"But did any die here?" Zuko asked. He stood beside the table, where Katara was seated, silently running her finger over the blue, oval stone.

"We can check the records."

Zuko nodded and glanced back at the young woman. He glanced around and opened his mouth, but no words came out. Awkwardly, he rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to say after what had happened the night before.

Afterwards, Katara could only stare at the stone, even as they lead her back into the temple. None had gotten any sleep, despite Aang's insistence that they go and rest after 'such an exciting night'. He was curious as to what had happened and Zuko, for reasons he couldn't fathom himself, did as well. Their curiosity led them to the library and when one of the monks arrived that morning, he had offered to help them.

Zuko pulled out a chair from beside the desk and eyed the stone in Katara's hands. "You…uh…," he began stupidly. Silently, he cursed himself for trying to talk when he didn't know what to say. "Did good…last night." That was terrible.

Katara didn't take her eyes off the stone. "I never asked," she whispered. Zuko craned his neck to hear her.

"What?"

Her hands stopped moving over the stone. "I never asked them," she repeated. Her eyes rose slowly and met us. "The ones I see," she clarified. "I used to scream and cry for help. I used to try to get away from them, ignore them when they asked for help."

He lowered his own eyes. "You said you were a kid back then. You didn't know," he shrugged, unsure of what else to say. "What could you have done?"

Her eyes crinkled. "Aang said that maybe the spirits at the oasis sealed me because I was still a child." She inhaled and exhaled deeply. "At the time, I couldn't do anything. I was helpless…and it hurt," she admitted. "I  _wanted_  to help them, but I  _couldn't_."

Zuko looked down.

"Found it!" Aang shouted. The two benders at the table lifted their heads and turned towards the oddly energetic Avatar as he jumped off the ladder and landed easily in front of them. He put an old, bound book on the table. "A list of all the names of people who visited during that evacuation period!"

He immediately began to flip through it. "It looks like the rooms they were in were recorded. Most of them left…." He stopped and held down a page with one hand. "This name," he dragged one finger across the page. "She left later than everyone else."

"No," Aang's voice lowered. "That character," he said as he moved his finger against it. "She was sick and died here."

The group went quiet. Katara stared at the date on the page. "That was…so long ago," she wheezed. Her hand tightened around the stone once more. "She's been here, looking for a necklace…for  _hundreds of years_."

"But she found it," Zuko said. He raised his eyes and met hers. "Because of you."

Katara pursed her lips. It was a gift, they told her, but she never believed it. All it had ever caused her was confusion, terror, and heartbreak.

Until now.


	2. Chapter Two

The Avatar had suggested she take up meditation to not only calm her, but also clear her mind to help perceive living from dead. While he had applauded her noticing that by reading the reactions of the living to the dead, there being none, it would help her distinguish the difference, she could not always rely on such a method.

Katara knew that, but upon first seeing a figure, there was no way for her to tell from sight alone. Her hands rested on the edge of the fountain as she hunched forward and took a heavy breath. She supposed she could go by how they were dressed or whether or not they were injured, but there were exceptions to that, too.

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Her morning meditation session had only brought her more questions and frustrations. She pushed away from the fountain and bended some water into her water skin before closing the cap and heading towards the main library.

The last two days, in between daily necessities and trying the exercises suggested by the Avatar and some senior monks, she had been going through the records of guests at the Southern Air Temple. This included refugees, pilgrims, and those injured in nearby Earth Kingdom wars that sought aid when the Air Temple functioned as a hospital.

After the woman looking for her betrothal necklace had been released from her search, Katara had felt a weight lifted from her shoulders. For the first time, that she was glad to have seen what she did. She had been able to help and it lessened, if only a little, the pain that came with knowing their situation.

She never saw that woman again, but there were others on the temple grounds. She had been cautioned that she could not help everyone. There were those who did not know or accept that they had died and putting them to rest would be difficult.

She crossed one of the main corridors that looked over one of the courtyards. The airbending children were not up that early in the morning and she'd only see a few monks sweeping nearby, but someone was already making use of the wide, empty space.

Her footsteps slowed and came to a stop between the stone columns that lined the corridor. He was there, again, that morning. He stood in the center of the courtyard, a red, discarded shirt on the bottom first step as sweat glistened against his bare skin. His hair was out of its traditional topknot and instead had been pulled back into a high ponytail to keep out of the way.

Knowing the basic forms of bending were key to a solid foundation, her grandfather had told her over and over. As fire appeared before his fists and feet, keeping within controlled sizes so as not to set any surrounding foliage on fire, it was clear that the firebender had a solid foundation and wasn't a novice.

She watched him go through intervals of quick, jagged movements and then slow into smooth restrained positions he used to focus and prepare for his next exercise. Katara furrowed her brows. A skilled firebender like him should've been in the Fire Nation military or possibly a member of the Fire Nation upper class; only they could reflect such structured and advanced techniques.

Hadn't the Avatar already rejected his request? Katara's turned into a slight frown. Didn't she  _also_  reject his request? What was he still doing there? She hoped that he still wasn't hoping to drag her into the equation. It was one thing to help a distressed ghost, but to see into a murder scenario? How would she even handle that? Before she could delve any further in her thoughts, a movement past the firebender caught her eye.

The flames dwindled from his fists as his hands loosened and returned to his side. Zuko let out a heavy breath and willed his heart to calm down. Two hours of bending should've been enough to keep him in shape. He turned around and headed towards the steps, intent to return to the fountains and wash his face before taking a quick nap and then going for breakfast.

He swept down and grabbed his shirt, using it as a towel once more, before climbing up the steps. He lifted his head and noticed the waterbender standing at the stairs, looking down at him.

His lips tugged into a small frown. They had rarely seen each other the last few days, but surely she didn't forget him already and think he was a ghost, did she? He glanced around for someone he could greet in order to entice a reaction and prove his existence. Unfortunately, the monks whose duty it was to sweep hadn't reached them yet.

Zuko raised a hand in greeting towards her as he reached the halfway point. "Good morning."

He watched as she jerked her head back. She blinked and gave her head a little shake before giving him a small bow. "Good morning," she replied. Her eyes moved past him once more.

Zuko glanced over his shoulder. "Do you see someone?" he asked unsurely as he slung his shirt around the back of his neck. He squinted, but couldn't see anyone there. Even if she was seeing something he couldn't because of her 'gift', it bothered him that he didn't sense a presence at all. No hairs on the back of his neck standing, no chills or bumps on his skin. It was like he was missing something.

"Just the little boy," Katara replied. She spoke as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. "He was watching you firebend."

He reached the corridor where she was standing and followed her gaze once more. It wasn't surprising that he didn't see anyone there. "Water Tribe again?"

"From his clothes, he's an air nomad," Katara said sadly. She lifted her hand and drew it across the side of her head. "There is a large gash here."

For a moment, the scarred man lowered his eyes. "Oh…." The spirits of adults were one thing, but children...it didn't sit well with him.

"Well," Katara turned her head away and began continuing down the corridor. "Have a good day."

Zuko furrowed his brows and took a step after her. "Wait," he called out. "Aren't you going to help him?" he asked, motioning his hands towards courtyard below.

Katara stopped. She lowered her head and he watched has her shoulders rose and fell with a heavy, tired breath. "I can't," she answered solemnly.

She could almost feel him frowning at her answer. "Why not? Didn't you say you want to help-"

"I  _do_  want to help," Katara snapped. She turned around to face him, her eyes narrowed into an annoyed glare. "Putting a soul to rest isn't as easy as walking up to it and then telling them to do so. If I'm going to help him, I need to find out what is keeping him here."

"Then just ask him what's keeping him here," Zuko pointed out, wondering why she hadn't done the obvious yet.

"Not all spirits can or are willing to talk, Zuko," a voice said behind him. He whirled around as Katara lifted her head and gave the newcomer a small bow of her head. A tall, bald monk with arrow tattoos happily approached them. "Morning!"

Katara gave him a small bow of her head. "Good morning, Aang."

"Aang," Zuko greeted. "Is it not one or the other?"

"From what I've experienced, some spirits can talk, some can't and can only gesture, like the ghost of the woman with the necklace," he said, moving around his hands to illustrate his point as he stopped between them. "Then there are those who simply won't say word. From what I've learned from Katara, what she usually hears are cries and screaming, and even then, they're tied with her eyes and what she can see. If she closes her eyes, she not only cannot see them, but she can no longer hear their voices. Even if they have voices, I was told that the strength of it depends on how firmly rooted they are to this world."

"But how do you know the boy can't talk?" Zuko frowned. "She hasn't asked."

"Don't forget that some don't know they are dead," Aang reminded him. "I've looked into it. The ghost from the other night knew. She accepted it; that was why after she found her necklace, she was able to break free and rest so easily. However, there are those that do not know and act as if they were still alive. We have to tread carefully in some cases, Zuko," Aang added. "What if the child doesn't know or accept that he has already died?" he asked quietly. "The shock can turn into negative energy and that can twist their emotions."

The black-haired young man wasn't sure he could accept that. "But how do you know if you haven't tried?"

Aang opened his mouth, but Katara lashed out quickly, cutting him off. "Don't you think I tired already?" she hissed. "I tried to approach the boy and he didn't talk. I asked him what he was looking for, what he wanted, and he got flustered and then rushed off to hide." She crinkled her eyes. "If you've ever been around children, you'd know how shy they could be." Her voice softened and seemed to shake. "Their personality is part of them and don't you think that would carry over even  _after_  they've died?"

Zuko's gold orbs held her blue ones for a moment. He hadn't noticed the dark circles beneath her eyes or the strained look on her face. Silently, he berated himself for such critical, impatient words. If anyone should feel helpless at the situation, it would've been Katara. She'd only helped her first ghost a few days earlier. He couldn't expect her to perform miracles on every single one she saw.

He lowered his head and gave her a solemn bow in apology. "I'm sorry," he replied. "I was out of line."

"I told you it's not easy," Katara frowned as she turned back around. "If you'll excuse me, I wanted to go the library before I have meditation with one of the monks."

"Okay, but don't forget to eat breakfast, Katara!" Aang reminded her loudly. "A good breakfast is essential to a good day!"

Zuko rolled his eyes and stepped around the Avatar. "Speaking of breakfast, if anyone asks, I'll skip it."

"What?" Aang looked concerned. "Is everything okay, Zuko?"

The black-haired man stopped in his tracks. He looked over and shot the Avatar a scathing glare. "You know everything isn't alright!" he snapped. "Are you forgetting why I'm here instead of the Fire Nation in the first place?"

Aang quickly raised his hands to calm him. "Zuko," he said carefully. "I didn't forget. I was just worried," he insisted gingerly. "Have you thought about returning to the Fire Nation?"

The other man's hands turned to fists at his sides. "Every day," he replied in a low voice.

The Avatar furrowed his brows. "Your tour of the other nations is almost complete-"

"Don't call it that!" Zuko yelled as his look hardened. "A tour of other nations?" he spat bitterly. "That was just an excuse my father made and you know it. I'm not on a tour. I've been temporarily  _banished._ "

Aang drew his lips in and looked away. That, he was fully aware of. It had happened a few years earlier, when Aang was in the Northern Water Tribe learning waterbending. He had heard that a member of the royal family had been sent away to 'take a tour of the world' in order to enrich himself. Only, as Zuko had said, it wasn't a royal privilege.

Zuko did not travel with an entourage befitting his rank. He had no guards with him nor did he have a near endless supply of money to support him on what would be eight years of travel. He was not allowed to return until his sentence was completed, all because he had spoken out against his father.

Prince Ozai, second in line to the Fire Nation throne, after his nephew, Prince Lu Ten, had been so unable to cope with the tragic death of his late wife, that when Zuko requested an investigation some years after her death, Ozai had grown upset. They argued and one thing led to another.

To put Zuko in his place, Ozai burned his left eye, but not before Zuko out rightly accused his father of killing his mother. Ozai had been so infuriated that he threatened to disown his first-born son. In order to quell his brother's fury and shield Zuko from Ozai's wrath, Fire Lord Iroh had suggested a temporary leave for his favorite nephew.

Zuko, in his own anger, accepted it. His cousin had joined him for a while, but soon had to return to attend to his own duties as first prince. While there was no contact with his own father, Zuko received letters and money from his uncle. Fire Lord Iroh was a man well respected throughout the four nations and his reputation and popularity had been enough to allow Zuko the basics in a strange land.

For the last seven and a half years, he had been living each day looking forward to the moment his banishment was lifted and he was allowed to return home.

Back to the comfort of the palace, back to finish his studies, and even back to his sister. Azula had been away at the Royal Academy for Girls when he had been sent away and he wondered what his father had told her about his leaving. It certainly wasn't the 'tour' a prince should've had.

His education had been cut short, as if it weren't an issue. All he had to go by was the foundation he received in firebending and schooling every so often at either an Air Nomad temple or with one of his uncle's friends. Yes, he had learned a lot, he had suffered, gained experience, experienced humility, but he found it hard to be grateful for the chance when he found himself sleeping outside, in the cold.

"Still," Aang said. "Eight years is almost up. You're of age now and once you return, there must be something you could do."

A snort escaped Zuko's lips. "Not with my father there," he said bitterly. "He'll do whatever he can to keep me as powerless as possible."

The Avatar crinkled his eyes and looked at the banished prince. "Do you really think that he killed your mother?"

The black-haired man clenched his jaw. His mother spoke of a time when Ozai seemed to see no one else, but her. They had once been madly in love and no one wanted to think it was possible. Zuko lowered his eyes and turned around. "I hope not."

* * *

Silently, he cursed the Avatar for bringing to mind something he had been trying to ignore. Zuko found himself simply laying in the darkness of his room, lost in his thoughts. It wasn't until his stomach protested against its lack of food that he finally left his room.

He stepped through the front steps of the kitchen and communal dining commons and bowed his head respectfully. "Good evening. May I ask if there is anything left that may be shared with me?" He kept his head low, keeping his hands together in front of him in a show of humility as was deemed appropriate.

"Yes," a familiar female voice replied. "Have a seat." He lifted his head up and didn't bother to hide his surprise as he saw the waterbender standing over a large metal pot, stirring its contents patiently. "Monk Rathee has prepared a stew with nuts. Is that acceptable?"

The black-haired man hesitantly walked to the nearest table and took a seat. "That's fine." He had long since learned not to complain about the food he was given, but rather to be thankful that he was even given food. "I'm used to nomad dishes."

"I'm not." Katara reached to the side and set out a bowl before moving her other arm and bending some stew into it. She took a spoon from a basket and placed it in the bowl before picking it up and carrying it to him.

Zuko rose from his seat to intercept her. "I can get that-"

"It's fine," she assured him. "I've been doing it all evening." A wry smile tugged at her lips. "I'm practically a master."

He smiled back slightly and gave her an appreciative nod as she placed the bowl in front of him. He reached for the spoon and lifted his head, giving her a curious look. She was still standing in front of him. "Are you going to watch me eat?"

Katara jerked her head back and shook it. "Sorry, I didn't mean to stare."

His brows furrowed as he looked around. They were alone in the eating commons, but that was only according to what he saw. "Are there others here?" he asked carefully.

Surprisingly, she let out a little chuckle and shook her head. "Would it bother you if there was?"

"No, I didn't mean it like that," Zuko insisted. "It's just this place is really old. I thought that maybe there would be more."

"There are," Katara sighed. "Unfortunately. I've been walking around the grounds more and I've see some."

Zuko stirred the steaming hot liquid. "Grab a bowl," he suggested. He lifted his head back and looked at her. "Sit and tell me about it." She looked surprised at his invitation and silently, he kicked himself for making her feel awkward. He quickly lowered his eyes and blew over some stew in his spoon. "Just a suggestion," he mumbled before bringing the food to his lips.

Katara looked over her shoulder, back at the simmering pot, and turned around. Zuko's eyes rose and watched her retreat to the stove. A small part of him was both disappointed and offended that she wasn't joining him. However, he supposed after all that had happened in his life, he should be used to it.

He continued to slurp up the stew, deciding to ignore the ghost-seeing waterbender. Then, a scrape of the wooden bench legs against the stone floors sounded before him and lifted his head.

Katara placed her own bowl in front of him, along with a small plate of shredded, cured meat. "Do you want some?" she asked as she nudged the plate between them. "You're from the Fire Nation, right? This is spicy chicken-beef." She rested a pair of serving chopsticks against the plate.

It was his turn to look surprised. He sat up straight and nodded his head. "Yes, thanks," he said as he put his spoon down and reached for the chopsticks. "Where'd you get this? I didn't think the monks would have meat here."

She looked away innocently as she mixed the shredded meat into her stew. "They don't. I brought it with me."

He paused with the meat over his bowl. "With you?" He furrowed his brows, confused. "I thought you were from the Water Tribe."

"I am," Katara clarified. "My father and grandparents are tribal elders, so they deal a lot with the other nations. I accompanied Dad to the Fire Nation for some conference and still have plenty of this stuff remaining."

"It lasts a long time because of the spices," Zuko pointed out. He lifted a spoon soaked with shredded meat to his mouth and closed his eyes as he savored the familiar taste. He couldn't remember when he'd last had it, but it tasted just like the meat at the palace. "This is good."

"I was told that our hosts only got it from the best butchers just outside the capital," Katara said. "We don't usually spice up our food like this, but I like it."

Zuko nodded as he picked up some more meat and dumped it into his bowl, content to stir it into the nomad stew. "Do you have any more?"

She looked up with her spoon still in her mouth. She removed it and nodded. "Do you want some more?" Katara glanced at the plate and barely held back a grin as she noticed he had finished off the last of it.

Across from her, Zuko winced. He hadn't realized he had taken so much. "I'm sorry. I've been traveling abroad for a while, I haven't had any since I left."

"I'll get some more," Katara said. She temporarily abandoned her half-eaten stew as she rose and grabbed the empty plate.

"Katara, wait, it's fine," Zuko protested. "I already took a lot-"

She was shaking her head. "Don't worry about it. We received a lot and since it lasts, Gran-Gran made me pack a bunch with me. I don't eat it often, so I don't mind sharing."

Somehow, his words made him feel guilty. He had been rude to her earlier and now she was generously sharing her food with him. In the back of his head, he could hear his uncle's voice telling him about the Water Tribe and their value on family and the community. His eyes settled on Katara's back as she stood across the room, preparing some more meat.

The plate was placed in front of him once more, this time, piled higher with shredded meat and pieces of something white and fatty.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Seal blubber," Katara said. "Try it with the shredded chicken-beef. It melts easily, so just take a little," she instructed as she showed him how to do it over her own plate. "Put it on your spoon, placed the meat on it and hold it above the hot stew. Let the blubber melt a little..."

He mimicked her actions and placed the concoction in his mouth. His eyes widened and he glanced back at her. Katara was relishing the taste. Her eyes were closed and he could hear her pleased 'mmm'. Zuko had to admit, it was surprisingly good.

"Seal blubber and shredded meat," he mumbled as he nodded. "I'll have to remember that." Katara chuckled and continued to eat her stew. Silence lapsed between them as they continued. Zuko struggled to find something to say to keep the conversation going. "So...why are you in the kitchen instead of one of the monks? Planning on becoming a nomad?" He could almost hear his humiliated groan echo outside his head. Plan on becoming a nomad?  _That_  was his question? He didn't even phrase it like a joke.

His face only reddened more so when Katara looked at him, confused as to why he would ask such a thing. "I asked to help," she told him. "Is that such a bad thing?"

She sounded offended.  _Wonderful, Zuko! She shares her food with you, even after you were a jerk, and now you offend her again. You are quite the charmer, aren't you?_  "No! No, there's nothing wrong with that!" he piped quickly. Did his voice just shoot up? "I was just surprised, that's all. I mean...pilgrims and other guests don't normally work in the kitchen..." His eyes crinkled. Why did everything he say suddenly sound so pathetic?

Katara narrowed her eyes just a bit. "The monks are taking time to help me with my...sight," she reminded him. "I'm not much of a pilgrim at this point. The least I can do is offer to help." He briefly wondered if that was a jab at him. He'd been there longer than her, he knew that much, but he hadn't done so much as offer to sweep. Katara stirred the remains of her stew. "I don't know how much longer I'll be here, so while I am, I should at least try to carry my weight."

He sighed quietly, resigned. "I understand," he noted. "But I'm sure the monks who know the reason you're here just want to help." The silence came again and Katara neared the bottom of her bowl. "I'm done." Zuko announced suddenly. He rose from his seat. "Where should I put my bowl?"

Katara glanced down at hers and pushed her seat back. "I can take it," she said.

"It's fine. You've been cooking, so the least I can do is wash the dishes," he replied. Katara shook her head and reached for his bowl.

"I'm on duty right now," she asserted.

"I insist." He snatched his bowl off the table before she could grab it. Katara frowned.

"Zuko-"

"I was rude to you this morning," he pointed out. "I said some frustrating things and I shouldn't have."

"You already apologized," she reminded him, annoyed. "I can take it from here." She held out her hand demandingly, waiting for him to hand over the bowl. Zuko didn't budge. Her eyes narrowed. "Zuko."

"I can wash it."

"I'll wash it."

"No, I insist."

"Why don't I wash it?" a voice offered from the doorway. "And you two retire for the night?" The two whirled around and found one of the older monks stepping into the dining area, smiling, amused. "Katara, we appreciate your help, but you have been up all day, straining yourself to see. You need time to rest."

"Monk Rathee," Katara said, defeated. She placed her bowl back on the table. "Alright."

The white-haired monk chuckled and nodded approvingly before turning to Zuko. "And Your High-"

"I get it," Zuko cut him off quickly before he got any further. He placed his bowl on top of Katara's and then piled them on top of the last plate. "We'll just leave them here, Monk Rathee."

"Thank you," the old man bowed his head and stepped aside, giving them access to the doorway. "Have a good rest."

The two younger benders bowed respectfully before being shuffled out the door. As they trudged back through the corridors, Katara let out a sigh.

"He reminds me of my Gran-Gran," she said quietly.

Zuko raised a brow. "Not your grandfather?"

"Grandpa is a little more strict than that," Katara chuckled. "He really drilled the fundamentals of waterbending into me."

"Is he a master?"

"Yes," Katara nodded. She lifted her chin proudly. "Actually, so am I." He looked unsure.

"Healer?" He'd heard that female tribe members were often forced to focus only on healing.

"I'm from the Southern Tribe," Katara pointed out. "But, yes, I do healing, too."

Zuko looked at her suspiciously. He hadn't seen her practicing her bending, he realized. He was always in the courtyard in the mornings, practicing and trying to keep his bending to good standards, yet he'd never seen really do so. She had been practicing with the Avatar when he passed them a few nights ago, but he could've simply taken it easy on her.

She saw the uncertainty in his face and drew her lips into a frown. "You don't believe me."

"It's not that," he asserted as he looked away. "I just haven't heard of many female waterbenders who didn't solely focus on healing. It's surprising."

"I'm sure you haven't heard of people who see the dead either, but obviously, I exist," Katara scoffed. "It hasn't been easy, you know. Female benders are perfectly acceptable in the Southern Tribe, but in the North, where the larger tribe is, we're still limited. My grandfather faced a lot of criticism when he was teaching me."

"At least you had someone to teach you," Zuko retorted. "I left the Fire Nation and my teachers behind when I was fourteen. I've had little instruction since then."

"I saw you bending; your foundation is more than just good," Katara said. "I wouldn't be surprised if you'd pass and become a master as you are right now."

He only wished. Zuko snorted and shook his head. "And who's doing to test me all the way out here? You?"

Katara's head lifted. She stopped in her tracks and turned to Zuko as he stopped a few steps in front of her. "I do spar best against a firebender," she said. She looked to the side, at the vacant courtyard below them, before turning back to him. A small smile tugged at her lips. "What do you say?"

This wasn't planned, but it wasn't a bad idea. Zuko walked past her and began going down the steps. "I say don't think you'll get far just because I don't have a title."

"You talk the talk," Katara smirked as she followed behind him. "Let's see you can do more." They reached the courtyard and Katara stepped across from the man. She looked past his shoulder and made a motion with her arms. "Stand to the side!"

Zuko gave her a quizzical look. "Why do I need to stand to the side?"

"Not you," Katara frowned. "Him...oh," her voice trailed off as her arms fell beside her. "It's you."

Zuko turned around, despite knowing there was no one there he could see. "Who is it?" Zuko asked, still looking around as if expecting to somehow find whomever it was Katara was speaking to.

"The little boy," Katara said. "The one who was watching you bend this morning."

Bending, huh? He could understand that. As a child, he loved watching firebenders practice. The movements were rhythmic and the flames were entrancing. He could understand. "Ask him if he wants to watch."

"What is it with you and asking them questions?" Katara frowned. "I don't even know if he's listening. He's just standing there."

"Then make eye contact and ask him," Zuko stressed as he looked over at her. "If he's watching, maybe he's interested."

Katara let out a heavy breath. "Fine," she conceded as she walked forward. She slowed her steps before she could reach the boy, making sure to put distance between them incase he grew shy once more and ran. Her eyes crinkled up as an ache made itself known in the pit of her stomach. He couldn't have been more than six or seven when he died. That was too short a life. "Hey," she began softly. "Hey, there, Sweetie...do you hear me?" A pair of eyes flickered over to her and the boy seemed to shrink back. "Wait, wait," Katara said, trying to keep from sounding too excited. "Do you want to watch us bend? If you want, you can stay and watch us. Would you like that?"

It was like she was talking to a real, living child, Zuko thought as he watched her. Katara had crouched down and was smiling encouragingly, as if the little boy had been flesh and blood. Once more, Zuko was reminded of how clear Katara must've seen them.

"What did he say?"

Katara's eyes were crinkled up and looking forward, with a confused expression. "He's shaking his head...but at least he's not running away," she said quietly. "Hey," Katara urged as he held out her hands. "What are you looking for? Can we help you find something?"

Zuko watched as Katara followed something unseen. She lifted her head to the sky and furrowed her brows. "What is it?" Zuko asked as he tilted his head up. A few sky bison were circling overhead.

"He's pointing to them," Katara mumbled. "Zuko, do you know how old airbender children are when they get their bison?"

"Not too young, I think," Zuko replied. "Why?"

"I think we need to get Aang," Katara said as she looked over his shoulder. "Can you find him?"

A part of him wanted to snap back that he wasn't her servant and wasn't going to act as her messenger. Instead, he opened his mouth and answered. "I'll be right back." That was unexpected.

Zuko lifted his hand and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he headed deeper into the Air Temple. What was he doing? It was late, he should've been in bed, sleeping. Instead, he was rushing through a dark temple, trying to find the Avatar for a woman who was speaking to a dead child. How did it come to this?

He heard voices from one of the gardens and followed them, hoping to find a monk who could lead him to the Avatar. As he emerged into the open area filled with plants and a small pond, he caught sight of the young man himself.

"Aang!" he called out, lifting his hand. The bald teenager with the arrow on his head turned at the sound of his voice and smiled brightly as he saw Zuko approaching him. He lifted his own hand to wave back.

"Hi, Zuko! What are you-"

"I need you come with me," Zuko stated in a low voice. Aang's smile left his face as a worried expression took over.

"What? Why? What's wrong?" he asked.

"Katara says to come and get you." Wow, he did not like how that made him sound like an errand boy. He shook the thought out of his head. "She's talking to the little boy and he's pointing at the air bison. I think she may be onto something."

Aang's eyes grew large as he nodded. He looked over his shoulders. "This may take a while! I'll finalize the arrangements with you tomorrow!" Aang called to the monk before he followed Zuko back into the corridor. "So, Katara went back to try to talk to the boy?" he asked as they ran down the hall.

"No, he happened to be there when we about to do some sparring," Zuko said. "So I told her to ask him if he wanted to watch. He didn't answer, but Katara said he was pointing at the sky, where the bison were."

"Huh...," Aang thought aloud. "I wonder if he ever got a sky bison."

"Katara said he was a young boy."

"Well, most of us get bison at particular ages, but there are plenty of exceptions," Aang said. "Sometimes, a bison and a child happen to meet and bond without being coaxed to, even while both are still young. Usually, though, they try to bond us when we're a little older because we have a better handle on our motor skills."

"The kid or the bison?"

Aang smiled and chuckled. "Both, actually." They reached the courtyard where Katara was standing, looking up at the bison above them. "Katara!"

She looked over her shoulder and opened her mouth to greet him, only to turn her head back to an empty spot beside her and shake her head. "No, he's the Avatar! There's no need to be afraid!"

"Katara!" Aang said as they reached her. Zuko held out his arm to stop him from getting too close and possibly making the spirit run and hide. "What's going on?"

"Aang, I think he's looking for his sky bison," Katara told him. She looked back at the empty spot. "Right?"

"Do you think that's why he's still tied to the living world?" Aang asked. Katara nodded. The Avatar rubbed his chin and frown. "Then...we might have a problem."

"What do you mean?" Katara asked. "Can't we just take him to the stables and see which one is his?"

"First, are you sure he's looking for his bison and not just wanting one?" Aang asked. Katara nodded.

"I asked if he wanted one and he shook his head. When I asked if he had one, his face lit up," Katara explained. "He's been wandering, Aang, looking for his bison. I'm sure of it."

"Okay, okay," Aang nodded. "But that's still a problem."

"What's the problem now?" Zuko frowned. Aang looked reluctant.

"He's a little boy, right?"

"Right," Katara nodded.

"There haven't been any deaths of children here in  _years_ ," Aang stressed. "The last one happened during the era of Avatar Kiyoshi. No matter how you look at it, his bison is already..." He trailed off.

Zuko clenched his teeth and Katara's face fell. Her eyes lowered, searching the ground in front of her for an answer. "Then what can we do?" Katara asked quietly as she fell to her knees, dejected. "He's been searching for his bison for years...we can't just leave him like this!"

Aang was racking his mind, trying to think of something. Zuko stood to the side, a concentrated look on his face. Suddenly, his head perked.

"He has a gash on his head," he said quietly. Katara lifted her eyes to look at him. "Right? You said he has a gash on his head."

She looked at him uncertainly. "Yes..."

"And Aang," Zuko said, turning to the Avatar. "You said that air nomads are bonded to their bison when they're a little older because of motor skills, right? If you're too young or the bison is too young, that means you're inexperienced, and there is a greater chance that-"

"You could fall off!" Aang gasped. "Katara!" He looked down at the woman on her knees with a forlorn expression on her face. "Ask him where he crashed!"

She looked hesitant. "But what if he doesn't know that he's...?"

"That's why he said  _crash_ ," Zuko clarified. "If he knows, we may be able to find out where his bison is."

Katara nodded and took a deep breath. She turned towards the boy and offered him a hopeful smile. "Do you know where you...er...last saw your bison?" The boy nodded. He pointed past the courtyard and Katara tensed. He was pointing into one of the canyons surrounding the air temple. "I see..." She turned back to Aang. "I think they crashed down there."

"Has he gone to look for his bison?" Zuko asked.

"Maybe that's why he's still here. He can't find him," Aang pointed out. He glanced past the courtyard, towards the gaps in between the mountains. "They were separated and now can't find each other."

"I thought they were bonded," Katara frowned.

A pained expression filled the Avatar's face. "They are," he said in a strained voice. "If a nomad dies before their bison, the bison mourns. It is said that when it is time for that bison to die, it seeks out the resting place of his nomad partner so that in the afterlife, they can be together again."

"But what if the bison dies first?" Katara asked.

Aang closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath. "Then their spirit will wait." His hands tightened at his sides. He took a deep breath and brought one hand to his mouth. A shrill whistle filled the courtyard.

"Aang!" Zuko cringed as he rubbed his ears. "What was that about?"

"We have to find the bison," Aang said. "That's the key. If the boy can't leave, then we'll need to find the bison and bring it to him."

"How are we going to lead the spirit of a bison back here?" Zuko spat out with disbelief. "That is, if we even can find it! Katara's the only one who can see the dead!"

"Then I'll look hard!" Katara exclaimed as she rose to her feet.

Zuko rolled his eyes. "It'll take you at least a day to climb down the side of the mountain to get to the valley below, Katara," he explained. "Do you know how long that will take?"

"Not long with Appa!" Aang said. They heard a grunt come from above them and Zuko wanted to groan at the sight of who 'Appa' was. He watched as Aang pointed to the cliff, past the courtyard. "Appa! Come on, buddy! We've got a job!" As he ran towards the hovering animal, he looked over his shoulder and stumbled to a stop just before the edge. He looked confused as his eyes settled on the other two. "Aren't you guys coming?"

Zuko scowled. "No."

"On a sky bison?" Katara shot Zuko an annoyed look at his answer. "What do you mean 'no'?"

"I mean, I'm not going on that thing," he replied proudly. He eyed the large animal suspiciously. It may have been a fine ride for air nomads who could just bend themselves to safety, but not for him.

"It's perfectly safe, Zuko!" Aang assured him as he hopped atop the massive beast. "Appa's been doing this for years. He's a professional!"

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "I don't even know how you can call a sky bison a professional, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm not getting on."

Katara smirked. "Scared?"

The corner of his eye twitched. He turned his head towards her and glared harder. "Don't be ridiculous-"

"Forget it, Aang!" Katara called back. "He's scared!"

"I'm not scared!"

"Whatever helps you sleep," Katara replied coolly. She turned to the little boy and extended her hand. "Want to come? We're going to look for your bison!" Again, she had forgotten the child was not alive. When his hand reached for hers, she didn't feel the expected weight of flesh and bone against her hand.

At the same time, she didn't feel chills or fear. Wide gray eyes looked up at her as his small hand seemed to hover over hers, waiting expectantly. Her face softened. His hand was so small.

"Katara?" Zuko's voice reached her ears. His lips tugged into a small frown. She remained in her spot, her hand seemingly holding air as she looked down at someone he couldn't see beside her. Her expression was sad. He released a heavy breath, silently wondering if he'd regret his decision later.

Zuko marched forward and grabbed Katara's other hand. He gently tugged her forward, drawing her out of her stupor. "Zuko?"

"If the kid's coming, get him on board," he said as he kept his eyes forward and led them to the awaiting bison. "Spirits can follow the living, can't they?"

Aang smiled as he watched Zuko help Katara up before climbing in after her. As soon as they were on the saddle, Aang gently tugged at the bison's reins. "Appa! Yip yip!"

The creature moved and immediately, Zuko found himself gripping on to the sides of the saddle, his entire body tense. He'd just got on and he was already regretting his decision. He hesitantly turned towards Katara. She was sitting an arm's length from him, her legs crossed and her arms resting on her knees.

Her eyes were glazed over as she stared ahead. "Katara?" he asked carefully. He leaned forward. "Katara, are you okay?"

"They were just playing," she said in a quiet voice. He strained to hear her over the wind cutting past them. "They weren't supposed to be gone too long, but he was curious, and he and his bison came down here..."

Appa swam through the clouds, easily finding his way into the canyons that surrounded the mountain the temple rested on.

"Aang," Zuko called out with concern.

"It's okay, Zuko," the Avatar assured him gently. "The boy just wants to help, so he's trying to show Katara his last memories."

"Is that safe?" the scarred man asked as he crouched near Katara.

"I don't sense any malicious intent from him," Aang smiled. "He is happy to have help finding his best friend." Zuko nodded, hoping the Avatar was right. "All we have to do is go through this area until Katara finds the bison spirit."

"Toki," Katara said suddenly. She blinked and drew her head back. A hand rose and rested on her head. "His name is Toki."

Aang nodded. "That's a cute name."

"That's not the point," Zuko sighed. "Are you ready, Katara?"

She nodded and turned to her side. She moved towards the back of the bison's saddle. "Take us lower, Aang. They landed hard on the canyon floor."

"Gotcha!" Aang nodded. He gently patted Appa's side and the animal descended smoothly until they were moving just above the floor. Zuko could do nothing more than sit and wait. He leaned back against the saddle and crossed his arms over his chest. His lips tightened into a frown, somehow feeling useless.

Katara focused on searching the area for any sign of a bison spirit. Aang carefully led the bison around the canyon floor. Hours seemed to pass and they turned around in the canyon to work their way back again. The banished royal frowned.

"We've gone through this area twice already," Zuko frowned as they flew over the rocky canyon bottom. Katara was looking over the edge, still hoping to catch sight of the ghost of a beast. "Are you absolutely sure we're in the right place?'

Katara nodded. "I'm positive...this has to be where they crash landed."

"And this is where the bison died?" Zuko asked.

Katara grimaced. "I think so."

"You  _think_?" Zuko frowned.

"All he showed me was that they crashed here," Katara asserted. "They lost control and hit the cliffs," she said, motion her hands above them. Her brows furrowed as she tried to recall the child's memories. "They hit the ground hard and it went black."

Aang frowned. "What happened after that?"

"That was his last memory," Katara answered.

Zuko crinkled his eyes. "Then...is it possible that he died on impact, but his bison didn't?"

"But...even if he survived...he couldn't be alive today," Katara whispered painfully. She shook her head, unable to understand what was going on. "If that's the case, then why didn't Toki go to die at his grave? Why didn't the he try to find him in the afterlife?" Katara demanded. "Did he just not know where to look? Did he survive and wandered off to die somewhere else? If they're so strongly bonded, why aren't they together!?"

The man beside her tried to calm her. "Katara-"

"He spent years looking for his best friend, Zuko!" Katara hissed as she shrugged off the hand that tried to rest on her shoulders. "Does he have to spend all of eternity looking for him?"

"Appa," Aang said softly as he leaned forward and gently stroked the top of the bison's head. "I hate to ask you of this, buddy...but can you take us to that place?" Appa let out a snort and moved his tail, sending them upwards.

"Where are we going?" Zuko asked.

"There is one more place we can check," Aang replied regretfully. "I didn't want to bring Appa there, but it looks like we don't have a choice." They ascended into the clouds and Appa flew them further from the temple. "Not all bison are paired with a nomads and when they die in the wild, other bison will bring their body to...um...well...a burial site."

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "A burial site? For bison? That exists?"

Aang nodded. "Remains of nomad's bison are also placed there. The soul is with their partner, but the body is with their kind."

"Is it far from here?" Katara's strained voice asked.

"No," Aang said. "But when we get there...Katara, prepare yourself." She nodded and took a deep breath. As silence wafted between them, she looked back at the boy. He was standing on the saddle, looking ahead with a hopeful expression on his face.

"I really hope we'll find Toki," she whispered. The man across from her watched the sad expression on her face.

"When you held his hand," Zuko said, drawing her attention to him. "Did you feel him?" he asked curiously. "Was he...you know...solid?"

Katara looked back down at her hand and shook her head. "No," she answered softly. "I didn't feel him at all. I could see his hand resting on mine, but I couldn't  _feel_  a hand at all." Her fingers curled. "But it felt  _warm_."

Zuko turned back ahead of them. "We'll find that bison," he whispered reassuringly. "I can feel it." A small, thankful smile pulled at her lips.

She moved to speak when her eyes caught a movement. She sat up straight and gasped as she tilted her head upwards. She'd seen them, alive, circling above the temple. It seemed like such a natural part of the area, she didn't think twice. However, one she saw turned into two...which turned to five, then ten. Then, more bison than she'd ever seen before.

"Do you see them, Katara?" Aang called over his shoulder. "They're here!" She could only nod her head and awestruck eyes followed the immense herd flying around them. Her heart raced. It was almost hard to believe that no one else could see them.

"There are so many...," she whispered. She smiled as her eyes crinkled up. "They're so beautiful...big ones, little ones..."

A child's voice filled her thoughts and her eyes immediately shot back to the little boy. " _Toki!_ " an elated expression filled the child's eyes as he reached towards a bison flying ahead.

"I see him!" Katara exclaimed as she flew from the back of the saddle, towards the front. "Aang! Swing a little to the right!"

"Sure thing!" Aang nodded.

Katara leaned over the side of the saddle. She yelled towards a large ghost of a sky bison, screaming his name. Her eyes crinkled up. "He's not coming! Why isn't he coming!?"

"Are you sure that's him?" Zuko asked behind her.

"He's bigger now, but I know that's Toki! You have to believe me!" Katara insisted. "I know that's him!"

"Then why is he ignoring you?" Zuko frowned.

"Katara! Tell Toki it wasn't his fault!" Aang yelled over the roar of the wind. She looked over at him, confused. "I can feel! I feel  _guilt_!"

"What?" she choked out.

"Tell him it wasn't his fault! That the boy isn't mad! He just misses him!" Aang yelled. Behind him, the scarred man's eyes went wide.

"I get it," Zuko nodded. He moved beside Katara and grabbed on her waist, making sure to keep her from falling out of the saddle. He brought his head closer to hers so she could hear him. "The boy died upon the crash landing, but Toki didn't. He survived! If they crashed, Toki might've felt responsible and didn't go find the boy because he felt guilty!" A pang of pain shot through Zuko at the thought. He grit his teeth and continued. "It's called survivor's guilt, Katara! He's wondering why he survived, but the boy didn't! He doesn't think it's fair and he's ashamed because of that!"

"Toki must've been suffering, too!" Aang added. "He lived the rest of his life thinking it was his fault his nomad died!"

"You can do this, Katara," Zuko told her firmly. "Not just for the boy, but for his bison. You can put  _two souls_ to rest."

Katara took a deep breath. "Toki, it wasn't your fault!" she screamed. "He misses you! He's been searching for you since he died! He's been looking for you, waiting! He's not angry, Toki! He just wants his best friend back!"

" _Toki!_ " She heard the boy's voice yell once more and she turned her head. Her eyes went wide.

"Wait!" she screamed as the child stood on the edge of Appa's saddle. He was smiling, as if everything was now all right. "No!" The boy jumped. Katara lunged forward and Zuko tightened his hold, keeping her from tumbling out of the saddle after him.

"Katara, stop!"

"He jumped!" Her frantic blue eyes were rimmed with tears as her arms clawed against Zuko's arms, trying to get him to release her. "He  _jumped_!" Her body slumped over the side of the saddle helplessly, shaking her head in disbelief. She didn't understand. They'd almost gotten to Toki.

"It's okay, Katara," Aang said as he released a breath. He smiled softly. "I don't feel any pain from him or Toki anymore." She looked at him unsurely and then peered over the edge.

Her hair flew around her face as a rush of wind swept past her. She turned her head and followed the source. A relieved smile finally reached her face upon the sight of a little boy riding on the top of a sky bison and then disappearing into the night.

* * *

"Wow...look at that," Aang sighed as a wide smile reached his face. He leaned forward and rested his arms over the top of Appa's saddle. "No matter how many times I see it, it's still beautiful."

"The sunrise?" Zuko asked in a deadpan voice from further back in the saddle. Appa was resting on a cliff, on a mountain adjacent to the Air Temple. The three benders remained on the large saddle on the flying beast's back. Two seemed tired from the events of that night, with one still sleeping.

"Every sunrise is a new day and every day is a gift," Aang stated as he looked over his shoulder. Zuko was leaning against the back of the saddle. Katara was nearby, slumped back against the saddle with her head cradled by Zuko's vest and her sleeping body covered by Aang's airbender cape to keep her warm. "Should we wake her up?"

Zuko let out a snort. "I thought waterbenders rose with the moon, not the sun."

"Well, for a firebender, you sure stayed up pretty late," Aang chuckled.

His laughter seemed to breech Katara's sleeping state and the waterbender crinkled her eyes before she opened them. The morning light was the first thing she saw and she grimaced as she raised an arm to shade her eyes.

"Morning?"

"Morning," Zuko confirmed. Katara yawned and pushed herself up into a sitting position.

"Why are we still out here?" she asked, confused.

"I wanted to watch the sunrise with you guys!" Aang beamed. Both Zuko and Katara looked at him as if he had lost his mind.

"Aang," Katara sighed as she ran a hand down her face. "That's very kind of you, but shouldn't we get back to the temple? Don't you have pilgrims to meet today?"

"No, not today," Aang smiled. "I have to spend today getting ready to leave."

The other two benders were suddenly fully awake and attentive. "What?" Zuko frowned. "You're leaving? Already?"

"Didn't you get here just a week or two ago?" Katara added.

Aang held up his hands. "I'm the Avatar. I don't just belong to the Air Nomads; I belong to everyone," he reminded them. He lowered his arms and rested his hands on his lap. "Besides, I've been called to mediate disputes. That's my job: to keep the balance."

"Oh," Katara mumbled. Aang quietly watched their reactions. Katara looked downtrodden; she was depending on him to help her with her sight. Zuko looked frustrated and lost; reminded once more that he, unlike the Avatar, had nowhere to go. Silently, the bald-headed Avatar nodded to himself.

"And I've actually been thinking about this since that night with the ghost looking for her necklace," he piped as he looked over at Katara. "I think, that night, you learned something...you experienced something you never thought you would with your vision, am I right?"

Katara hesitated, but nodded. "When I saw her when she saw the necklace, it was like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders," she whispered. "I felt like what I saw did something good."

"That it was possible to help, right?" Aang encouraged. Katara nodded once more. "As I thought. And last night, did you feel it again?"

Zuko watched as a small, thoughtful smile tugged at Katara's lips. "Yes, I did."

Aang smiled confidently. "Then, I have a proposition for you." She lifted her head and looked at him curiously. "All your life, your experiences with your vision have been negative, but now, you have a new outlook. Your latest experiences helping these wandering souls finally find peace is helping  _you_ find peace, too. I think that the more experiences you have, the more you'll be able to settle your heart.

"Now, I can't promise that all your future experiences will be as positive as the last two. I know that not every spirit still lingering in this world is searching for something they lost or will even be friendly, but I think every experience will help and teach you," Aang asserted. His eyes held Katara's. "That being said, I'd like you to join me on my travels."

Her blue eyes grew large. Her mouth opened as she stared at the Avatar, dumbfounded. "You...you want me," she began carefully. "To join you? The Avatar?"

Aang chuckled and nodded. "I know that the other monks can help you focus just as well as I can, but I really think that in order to do more than just tell the difference between living and dead, you need more exposure to them. You need experience and to do that, you can't stay here. Besides," he added with a sad look in his eyes. "There are many out there who need to be put to rest. We can't help them all, but we can help some of them - just like little boy and his bison and the lady with the necklace."

Katara bit her lower lip as she looked down. Everything Aang said made sense: she needed experience, she would learn, she could help others. There were no guarantees for what she would encounter, but she understood now that when she was a child, she wasn't so much afraid of the ghosts she saw, but hurt because she was helpless to aid them.

It was an easy decision for her to make.

"I'll come," Katara asserted as she met his gaze once more.

"Are you sure you don't want to think it over a bit?" Aang asked. "We have until tomorrow morning if you want to think about it."

"No, I'm sure," Katara assured him. "I know that it could be dangerous, not just with the ghosts, but because you are the Avatar. I don't want to sit around, helpless, the rest of my life. If I can put them to rest, then I won't turn my back on them."

That was exactly what he wanted to hear. Aang nodded and turned to Zuko. "I want you to come, too."

Both the prince and the waterbender looked surprised. "What?" they chorused, only briefly glancing at each other when they spoke. Zuko turned his head and bore his eyes at the enthusiastic looking Avatar. "What do you mean you want me to come?"

"I want you to come with us," Aang said, as if his words would clarify everything.

"I mean  _why_ ," Zuko stressed. "I can understand why Katara should go, but why me?"

Aang looked disappointed and tilted his head to the side. "Do you not want to go?"

"I didn't say that-'

"Then why are you questioning the invitation?"

"Well, you gave Katara all these reasons! I thought there might be one for me!" Zuko exclaimed, irritated. Beside him, the waterbender turned her head away to keep her amused expression hidden.

"Oh," Aang furrowed his brows and seemed to try to come up with an explanation. "Well...I thought you'd like to come."

Zuko stared at Aang. That was it? Katara received an entire speech about how traveling with the Avatar would be beneficial to her and all he got was some flippant assumption?

A tight-lipped frown settled on his face as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Take me back to the Air Temple."

Katara let out a barely muffled snort and Zuko shot her a glare. "Okay, okay," Aang sighed as he hopped over the edge of Appa's saddle and reached for the reins. "At least think about it!" he called over his shoulder. "Appa! Yip yip!"

The bison's tail moved up slowly before slamming down, bringing them upwards, into the sky. Katara looked over at the male bender beside her and grinned. "Do you have a lot of stuff to pack?"

"I don't," Zuko scowled. "And why should I pack? I was just invited so I wouldn't feel left out."

"You really think so?" Katara asked thoughtfully. "So you're going to stay?"

"I don't know."

"It's one or the other," she prodded. He sent her a glare.

"What reason do I have to go along with the Avatar?" he asked expectantly.

The brown-haired woman thought for a moment before answering. "Then, instead of just going with the Avatar, why don't you go with your friends?"

He nearly scoffed. "Friends?" Since when did he have friends?

"Yes," Katara told him proudly. "Aang," she said, motioning to the bald monk sitting above the head of the flying bison. "And Katara." She placed her hand above her chest and offered him a smile. "Aang wasn't the only one with me when I put those spirits to rest, you know. He's the Avatar and no doubt will have his hands full. I'm still new at this and I need all the support I can get." She brought her knees up to her chin and looked ahead of them. "And...," she added quietly. "You did pretty good last night, yourself."

Zuko rolled his eyes and kept his arms crossed over his chest as he looked past the saddle. "I'll think about it."

* * *

She stood beside Appa as the few monks who were seeing them off that morning finished loading the supplies on to Appa's back. The dawn was going to break soon and after she had given the monks her things to load, she had gone to fill her water skin at the fountains.

Part of her expected to find him there, either washing his face, or nearby, still firebending, but when she arrived, the scarred man was nowhere to be seen. Katara felt more disappointed than she thought. Certainly, he hadn't promised anything day before and it wasn't as if Aang could force him to come.

The only thing they could do was hope he considered it and agreed. Yet, the minutes passed and Aang was thanking the monks for seeing them off, but there was no sign of a man in red anywhere. She had waited in the courtyard, but didn't see him.

"Katara!" Aang called as he easily jumped and bended himself atop Appa. "Climb aboard! It's time to go!"

She struggled to hide the disappointed look on her face a she looked up and gave him a reassuring smile. "Okay!" she called up with a wave of her hand. Katara turned towards the monks and placed her hands together, bowing her head. "Thank you for all your help."

"Have a pleasant trip, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe," an elder monk smiled warmly. "We wish you the best."

She smiled thankfully and bowed once more before heading towards Appa's tail. He was a large creature and climbing his sloping tail to the saddle on his back was the easiest way for a non-airbender to get up.

Carefully, Katara grasped his fur and pulled herself up, reaching for the saddle. As she prepared to grasp the edge, a pale hand shot down and wrapped around her brown, work worn one, preparing to pull her up. Her head flew up and her eyes widened as she watched him lean over the side, extending his other arm.

"Give me your other hand," he ordered.

"Zuko?" she wheezed. Was she seeing things? She turned back to the courtyard where they were taking off from and then back at him. Had he been sitting on Appa the whole time? "I thought you weren't coming!"

"What are you talking about?" he frowned. He looked impatient as he extended his other hand. "Katara, give me your hand."

"Having trouble getting up?" Aang called from the front. "Appa! Give them a little help, boy!"

Zuko's eyes widened with alarm as he looked over his shoulder. "Aang, wait-!" The furry beast moved its massive tail and Katara let out a yelp as she was suddenly thrown upwards.

A surprised scream escaped her lips as a frantic look filled her face. Zuko grimaced and grabbed her other hand as she was nearly tossed overhead and pulled her down.

She slammed into him and sent him flying back. They skidded to a landing on the large saddle with a heavy thud and Aang smiled weakly.

"Heh...sorry about that, guys. Appa doesn't know his own strength sometimes." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as the bison let out a noise; probably some sort of apology. "Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine," Zuko grumbled in a low voice as he tilted his head back and glared daggers at the Avatar.

Aang let out an embarrassed laugh before bringing the reins up. "All right, Appa!" he called.

Zuko looked down at the woman sprawled awkwardly on top of him. "Are you alright?"

She felt her heart stop as she froze above him. Katara was suddenly all too aware of his warm, firm body beneath hers and wasn't sure if it was due to the embarrassment or the fact that she was on top of a man's body. She swallowed nervously, refusing to meet his eyes. His hands still held hers firmly beside them and her head landed and had remained against his chest. Her hair shielded her burning face from view.

"Yes," she said, trying to keep her nervous voice from revealing itself. "Just fine!"

He could feel the warmth of her heated face through the fabric of his shirt and he held back a smirk. His hands remained holding hers. "Good."

"Yip yip!"


	3. Chapter Three

"...working really hard lately," Aang was saying as they flew through the thin layers of clouds. "She says they're more trouble than I was," he added with a small laugh. "But they have a lot of promise."

"So she feels they're worth it," Zuko acknowledged from the saddle behind him. "Amazing...I've never heard of metalbending, but when you explain the concept behind it, it's almost obvious."

"Still, not many people can do it," Aang sighed. "Toph's a genius alright."

Zuko nodded and glanced back into the saddle. They had been traveling for a few days and nights now. Most of their stops were on small, uninhabited islands where they could relieve themselves and stretch their legs. In order to meet at the specified time Aang had agreed with his former earthbending instructor - a prodigy earthbender from a wealthy family - they had to leave the last island before sunrise.

Zuko didn't mind, as it was part of his usual routine to rise early and get in some bending, but Katara was a different story. She had dutifully gotten up and seemed to automatically fold her sleeping mat and pack up their little camp, as if half-asleep. As soon as she was on the saddle and everything was accounted for, she promptly returned to sleep.

During take off, she had rolled against Zuko and made no move to put distance between them. She had been completely knocked out and Zuko made a mental note to tell her not to stay up too late. He appreciated her efforts, as she prepared their meals, cleaned up, and brushed Appa all before proceeding with her waterbending exercises, however, he knew what fatigue could do to a person and they'd only been traveling a few days.

"When should I wake her up?" Zuko asked as he tucked her blanket around her shoulders to keep it from flying off in the wind.

"Soon," Aang said. "We should see the coastline soon. The village is really close to it."

Zuko nodded and reached over. He placed a hand on Katara's shoulder and gave her a small shake. "Katara," he began. "Katara, we're almost there." An incoherent mumble came from her lips as she tried to bat his hand away. Zuko rolled his eyes and grasped her arm, gently shaking it. "Katara..."

"No, Sokka," she grumbled as her brows knit together. "You feed snow leopard dogs. You're the one who wanted them."

Aang let out a snicker and Zuko frowned. "Katara, wake up!" he shouted.

A pair of blue eyes strained to open before focusing on a frowning male looming above her. Katara's face twisted into confusion. "What's going on?"

"We're going to land soon," he sighed as he pulled back and leaned against the saddle. "We're supposed to meet Aang's earthbending master today, remember?"

She pushed herself up, tired, and ran her hand through her hair. She squinted as she looked around and nodded. "Right."

"Did you have a good nap, Katara?" Aang called from Appa's head.

The waterbend nodded. "Yeah," she said as she stretched her arms over her head. She looked around and squinted. "How long are we going to get to stay at that village?"

"Two or three days to rest and then we're taking Toph back to her Academy," Aang reported. "I'll be good for Appa to have a rest every now and then."

"It'll be good for us, too," Zuko agreed. "I know it's faster, but I can't exactly stretch my legs on the saddle. I'd rather be on the ground."

Appa opened his mouth and let out a low growl. Katara chuckled as she finished folding her blanket and pushed it to the side. "He doesn't mean it like that, Appa," she assured the massive beast as she leaned over the side and patted his fur. "He's just more comfortable on the ground than on a cute, fuzzy flying bison."

Appa let out a pleased snort. Zuko rolled his eyes before giving the waterbender a sidelong glance. "You sleep most of the time we're on Appa."

"That's because we're flying in the day and I'm a night person," Katara replied coolly as she crossed her arms and leaned back against the saddle. "I can't help it if we're on land when I'm more awake."

"Ah! Speaking of land! There it is!" Aang shouted from atop Appa's head. He pointed ahead of them and Zuko craned his neck. He could make out the thin sliver or green and brown they were fast approaching and the mountains appearing behind it.

"Is that the Earth Kingdom?" Katara asked as she leaned over the side of the saddle.

"Yep!" Aang said. "There is a bay further north, but we'll be staying at a village about a half day's travel south. It's not as hectic and there's a great place where we can rent a stable for Appa."

"So, how much further to the town?" Zuko asked.

"Not much," Aang assured them. "But Toph is supposed to meet us on one of the open clearings. It's right by the water, but it's an ideal place for Appa to land. Otherwise, we'd have to land in the center of the village and all the kids come rushing to play with Appa. He likes kids, but he's tired."

"Then we'll walk to the village from there?" Katara furrowed her brows. Aang nodded.

"It's not far and the stables are just at the edge of town."

"He's still going to make the bison walk there," Zuko grumbled. "As if he's not already tired from the flight."

"I'm sure he'll be happy to go straight to rest and a large bale of hay," Katara chuckled. She rummaged through her bag. "Speaking of food...," she trailed off as she took out a carefully wrapped bundle and opened it on her lap. "Jerky?"

"Only if it's not seal jerky with seaweed again," Zuko as he glanced over. He could see the caked red and brown spices on the dried meat and figured it was cured chicken-pork from Katara's Fire Nation snacks cache. He immediately reached over and plucked a piece. "How much of this do you have?"

Katara snorted. "A least another leg. Gran-Gran packed so much."

"I'll take it if you don't want it."

"It'll cost you."

Zuko let out a little scoff and opened his mouth to protest when Aang squinted and yelled. "Okay, guys! I see her! We'll be landing soon!"

Both benders behind him leaned over the sides of the saddle. "I don't see anyone," Katara said as she tried to spot any figure standing on the approaching cliffs.

"Are you sure you're not seeing things?" Zuko added.

Aang chuckled. "Just keep looking. You'll see her."

Just as he said that, a cloud of earth puffed into the air as a rumble sounded. A large piece of earth sudden jutted from the air, towering above the cliff and standing proudly on the very top was a black-haired, green and yellow-clad young woman.

"She's younger than I thought," Zuko murmured.

Aang laughed. "Toph's probably the youngest earthbender master ever!"

"It's amazing," Katara murmured. "She sees with vibrations using earthbending."

"Don't forget metalbending," Aang added. "She's really proud of that."

"Will she show us some?" Katara asked. Aang nodded.

"You probably won't even have to ask," the Avatar grinned. "I can't really do it, so she likes to kind of rub it in my face," he added sheepishly.

Appa began his descent, moving easily towards the young woman standing on the pillar of earth. Aang took a deep breath and let out a yell of her name. They could just make out the way the earthbender's head tilted to the side as she heard her name. She raised one arm in greeting.

A moment later, the earth she had bendt up lowered and melted back into the ground. She jumped back, moving closer to the treeline to give the landing animal some space. As Appa touched down, Aang bended a ball of air beneath him and easily hopped off the animal

"Toph!" he beamed.

She held out a hand. "No hugs," she said, stopping him before he engulfed her in an embrace. Aang nearly skidded to a stop, but laughed amiably as he landed on his feet. Toph tilted her head to the side, facing the air bison. "So, you brought two new sidekicks?"

"They're not sidekicks, they're friends," Aang told her. He moved towards Appa and waited for Katara and Zuko to join them on the ground. The Fire Nation prince jumped over the side of the bison easily.

"Show off," Katara grumbled. She climbed over the saddle and slid down the side. Zuko held out one arm, allowing her to grab on to it to help steady her landing.

"Hey, there!" Toph greeted as she approached them. "I'm Toph - Twinkle Toes' earthbending master."

Katara stifled a giggle as Zuko raised a brow and looked at the Avatar. "Twinkle Toes?" he asked.

Aang rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Uh...just pretend you didn't hear that," he urged. "Ahem...anyway, Toph, this is Katara, a waterbender from the Southern Tribe and Zuko from the Fire Nation."

"Zuko?" Toph's head jerked up and she seemed to furrow her brows. "As in Pri-"

"Pretty nice place you have here!" the royal's abnormally loud voice cut in quickly as he rushed forward. "I don't think I've ever come this way before!"

Toph looked confused as Aang swept in and asked Katara to get their water skins, as they'd be walking the rest of the way and might get thirsty. The waterbender seemed to brush off her companion's jittery behavior in favor to climbing back on top of the bison.

"Umm, Toph, remember what I wrote about?" Aang said as he moved back to his master. "He's trying to travel incognito, remember?" He reminded her in a low voice.

"Even from your other sidekick?" Toph snorted.

"They're not sidekicks," Aang sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, fine," Toph said as she waved a hand dismissively. "Is she a secret royal, too?"

"The Southern Water Tribe is an elected Chiefdom. They don't have princesses," Zuko said sharply.

"Technically, no," Aang said. "But Katara's father is the Chief. Anyway, Katara's going to traveling with us to help with her...um..."

"Meditation to improve her abilities," Zuko said expertly. It wasn't exactly a lie.

Toph looked sceptical, but nodded. "Whatever you say."

"Alright! I got the water," Katara said as she reached them and handed the water to the two males.

"Great, thanks!" Aang slung the water skin around him and turned to Toph. "Lead the way, Sifu Toph!"

The earthbender let out a snort and turned around, heading into the forest.

"So, who is watching your school right now, while you're here?" Zuko asked as he walked behind Aang and the earthbender leading the way. Katara was behind him, followed by the lumbering air bison.

"We just got a new crop of newbies," Toph told him proudly. "So the older students are leading them in the basics while we're gone. Don't get me wrong, though. The older students still have a long way to go, but they'll do for now. If those kids aren't at least proficient in lifting those metal coins when I get back, they're out of the school."

Aang grimaced at her words. She was, as always, tough on her pupils, but she meant well. Metalbending was not for the weak and Toph believed in strengthening her students minds and bodies, as well as abilities.

"Um...so, is The Boulder still working with you?" the Avatar asked.

"Yeah, he's really good with the paperwork and the business end of the school," Toph replied. "He can't metalbend for the life of him, but he can balance an account book like nobody's business."

"The Boulder, as in former Earth Rumble champion?" Zuko asked, surprised. "I heard he retired after his loss to the Blind Bandit, but I didn't think he'd go into accounting."

"Heh," Toph smirked and turned her head slightly. "I see you've heard of me."

Aang chuckled. "Zuko, Toph is the Blind Bandit," he said as he looked over his shoulder. "She only retired to teach me."

Zuko's eyes were wide and Toph sent a dismissive wave in his direction. "Don't be surprised, Princy," she grinned. "I'd give you an autograph, but I can't write."

"That's why the Boulder does the paperwork at her school," Aang said. "Did you know he has an MBA from Ba Sing Se University?"

He was learning more and more every day, Zuko realized. Only, these little facts weren't exactly what he'd consider life lessons. He let out a heavy breath and shook his head as they were led through an open clearing.

The path they were following cut through the cleared space and from a brief glance, Zuko could tell it had probably once been a small settlement or camp. Surprisingly, the path they were on had the remnants of brickwork. Dilapidated framework of wooden buildings poked up from the overgrown grass and abandoned foundations stood nearly covered in dirt swept in by years of disuse.

Silently, Zuko hoped that this wasn't a sign of how the actual village would look when they arrived. His stomach grumbled and he quickly placed his hands over it to try to stifle the sound.

"How much further?" he called. He didn't want to have to ask Katara for another piece of jerky; they might need it for the rest of the journey and he wasn't sure when they'd go to the Fire Nation and could acquire more.

"Not far!" Aang assured him. "Oooh, I really hope that the tofu place is still - Toph?"

Aang looked at his young master with a confused expression as she stopped in the middle of the trail. He slowed to a stop behind her. Toph's feet were planted firmly on the ground as her eyes narrowed.

"Her heart is beating fast," Toph said as she turned to the side. Her arms were extended as she dug her toes into the ground. Her lips tightened into a line. "Way too fast!"

Aang furrowed his brows as Zuko immediately whirled around and looked behind him. "What are you..." His voice trailed off as he saw the last person in their party. His eyes went wide as he rushed towards her. "Katara!"

He hadn't realized she had stopped several paces behind. She hadn't said a word. She was rooted in her spot, her entire body tense as she held her arms against her, shaking. Her eyes were wide and face began to glisten with sweat. Behind her, Appa let out a pained moan and moved closer until he nudged Katara.

Her hand's immediately flew down and reached for the furry beast as she shook her head wildly from side to side. "No...no, I don't...stop!"

"Why is she panicking? What's wrong?" Toph frowned. "There isn't anyone here, but us-"

Katara screamed.

Aang frowned and turned back. "It's a long story," he said in a low voice as he tried to reach the blue-eyed woman.

A frantic look filled the waterbender's face. She tried to turn into Appa, hoping to shield her eyes and face with the bison, even as she shup her eyes as tight as she could. She tried to remind herself that they couldn't hurt her. That they weren't really there. They couldn't really touch her.  _They shouldn't affect her._

"Katara!" She could hear Zuko. Instinctively, she turned her head in the direction of his voice and felt all the blood drain from her body.

They were pleading with her; clawing at her for help. The spirits were desperate and in pain. From her, they only wanted solace.

"Katara, what's wrong?" Her eyes moistened.

For Zuko, it was much more malicious.

"Get away from him!" she screamed. She pushed herself forward, dragging her heavy body towards the firebender as he approached. He looked at her quizzically as she stumbled forward.

"Katara-"

She could feel their hate and misery in the air. The pressure was thick, slamming against her senses endlessly. She took in a deep breath and winced. It was difficult to breath. She took in another.

"Katara, don't move!" She wanted to tell Aang it wasn't her who was in danger, but Zuko. They were all after Zuko.

The confused look on the firebender's face vanished as his eyes widened. "Katara!" He looked scared. Had he seen them?

Her legs stopped moving. Her head was heavy. The ground was coming towards her. Their voices were fading.

Then, darkness.

* * *

He stood on the bench outside the healer's building, hunched forward with his elbows on his knees. His brows were knit together with an intense look of concentration as his fingers twisted a piece of cloth in his hands. Gold eyes bore into the little piece he had picked from his worn shirt.

That was the first time he'd seen Katara panic like that. He'd seen her frightened and he'd seen her so caught up, that she seemed to ignore everything else, but it was different this time. He could almost feel her terror as she tried to hide against Appa and the horrified expression on her face when she had turned to look at him had made him stop in his tracks.

Had she known what she was going to encounter on their walk to the village? Zuko shook his head at the thought. If she did, he doubted she would've reacted as such. She wouldn't have passed out and he wouldn't have had to carry her to the healer.

"...mental exhaustion," he heard a voice say behind him. Zuko shot to his feet and turned around, standing to attention as an old woman escorted Aang and Toph outside. "It may be best for her to rest a bit."

"Is it alright to move her to the inn where we are staying?" Aang asked.

"It will be, once she wakes up," the old healer said. "For now, it is best to let her get some sleep. Whatever happened terrified her."

The firebender frowned. The healer bowed her head at them and returned inside. Aang let out a heavy breath as Zuko stepped forward.

"Did you find out what's wrong?" he asked as he approached the two.

"It looks like Katara was having difficulty breathing and passed out from lack of air," Aang explained. "Although, I'm sure you can figure out why."

The banished prince pulled his lips into a frown. "She saw something," he deduced easily.

"I think it was more than just something," Aang murmured.

"But will she be alright?" Zuko persisted. As soon as they had arrived, the village doctor had him put Katara on a bed in one of the rooms and then ushered him out. When he refused until he got some answers, Toph earthbended him out. Aang apologized, but she quickly barred the door with an earthen wall until Zuko settled down and gave in to waiting outside.

Aang nodded his head. "She should be. She just needs some rest right now." Beside him, Toph was frowning. She crossed her arms over her chest and let out a snort.

"Okay, Twinkle Toes, explain," she demanded. "What's with all this 'saw something' stuff? I thought she was having a heart attack earlier with how spooked she was."

Aang let out a heavy breath. He looked at Zuko and gave him small, entreating look. "Do you mind staying with Katara until she wakes? I need to sort some stuff out with Toph and get Appa his stables for the night, but I don't want Katara to wake up and panic when we're not there."

He wasn't sure whether or not she'd panic, but Zuko nodded. "I'll send a messenger to find you when she wakes."

"Thanks, Zuko," Aang smiled, relieved. He looked at Toph. "Come on, I'll explain."

Zuko turned around and proceeded into the modest clinic of sorts. Outside, he didn't hear Toph's mildly interested inquiry. "So, is Princy her boyfriend or something?"

One of the nurses allowed Zuko into the room where Katara was sleeping, telling him to call for them should she awaken. He nodded and approached the still waterbender resting on a bed against the wall. Awkwardly, he took a seat on a wooden chair beside the bed and and casually glanced around the small room.

Their first taste of civilization in days and already something had befallen Katara. They hadn't even made it to the village yet. His eyes were drawn back to her with a mixture of confusion and pity.

When they landed, she was fine. She was keeping up with them well and he didn't even known she had fallen behind. She hadn't said a word about seeing anything, then again, Katara was used to seeing one or two spirits crossing her path. She had probably assumed them to be harmless.

She had been overwhelmed by what she saw the further they got into the forest. Zuko frowned and rubbed his chin. Something was in the forest.

He heard cloth rustling to the side and jerked his head up.

"Zuko?" she asked as breathily as she tried to breathe. Her shut eyes tried to open and Zuko immediately lowered his hand over them.

"Keep your eyes closed," he told her quickly as he bent over. "Aang says you just passed out after seeing something, so take it easy."

Her breathing was uneven, but she complied. Shakily, her brown hand rose and rested over his. "Are you okay?" she asked.

He could feel her eyes shut tight beneath his palm as her fingers wrapped around the top of his hand. Zuko frowned at her state. Katara had been able to at least deal with seeing the undead before. What made this situation so much different? Was it really that much worse?

"Yeah," he told her solemnly. "I'm fine, Katara."

Her hand tightened over his. "Don't go back there," her trembling voice pleaded quietly. Zuko bent down further to hear her.

"What?" he asked. He shook his head. "Nevermind, don't force yourself. Just rest-"

"Don't go back into that forest," Katara wheezed. Her other hand reached for him. "Zuko-"

"I won't," he assured her as his other hand grasped hers. His eyes widened as she immediately squeezed him, as if refusing to let him leave. "I won't go there, Katara. Okay? Don't worry."

He felt something hot and wet beneath his palms and his eyes flew from her hand gripping his, back to Katara's face.

"There were so many," she choked out.

Zuko shook his head. "It's okay, Katara. They're gone. You're not there anymore. They're not going to hurt you."

Her chest ached. "It's not me," Katara told him. "It's  _you_."

* * *

Aang nearly dropped his chopsticks. He looked at the eighteen year-old earthbender beside him as she slurped up some noodles from a bowl. She couldn't see the stunned look on his face, but he knew she knew what he was feeling.

"What?" his voice was torn between a demand for explanation and disbelief.

Toph chewed and swallowed her food. The tofu restaurant was, once again, where they headed to catch up and she had just spent the good part of the last hour being told of Katara's 'situation'.

How the Water Tribe woman reacted made much more sense now. "I said if that's her deal, you shouldn't have brought her through the forest."

"I didn't mean to bring through the forest. We saw you and landed on the cliffside. We just had to get through the forest to get to town," Aang frowned. "But what's wrong with that forest?"

"Not the forest per se," the blind master replied. "But that particular stretch we walked through has a history."

The Avatar did not like where this was going. "What kind of history?" He almost regretted asking.

"You know how your predecessor, Avatar Roku, stopped Fire Lord Souzin from attacking the other nations?" Toph asked. Aang nodded. Roku, like Kyoshi before him, was long-lived, although he had spent most of the end of his life banished from his homeland, the Fire Nation. "Souzin had sent colonists to the Earth Kingdom in an attempt to start claiming it for the Fire Nation."

"Yes, but after Avatar Roku defeated Fire Lord Souzin, those colonists were sent back," Aang reminded her.

"This happened before that," Toph continued. "This town was founded on a former colony, but it's not the original one in the area. The the first wave of colonists had rooted themselves closer to the water."

Aang's brows furrowed. "Those old wooden pylons and that clearing..."

"The first settlement," Toph confirmed. "There was a really bad fight - no," she corrected herself. "It was worse than just a fight. There was a raid made by Earth Kingdom citizens who didn't want them there. Since the colonists were the first of their kind, they were backed by the military and had military protection."

Aang swallowed nervously. "What happened to them?"

"The citizens were killed," Toph said. "Violently. Stories say that the colonists were so horrified that many returned. They then moved the original site, even though it was a inconvenient location. This village has some of its original Fire Nation buildings because that massacre kept any retaliating locals away. When the colonists were sent home, the buildings were left behind and they were taken over."

Aang's gray eyes were fixed on the wooden counter they were sitting in front of. "All those people," he whispered.

"If I knew, I wouldn't have insisted on going back on foot," Toph frowned.

"No, it's my fault," Aang shook his head. "I should've known. I knew there were violent clashes between the locals and the colonizers during Souzin's time, but I never knew something that bad happened here."

"I don't blame you. The Fire Nation doesn't want to talk about it and the villagers find it painful to remember, so they don't talk about it. Most of the younger generations don't know. I wouldn't know if I didn't hear from other places." She finished her soup and pushed the bowl forward.

"When she's recovered, I'll talk to Katara about it," Aang said.

"Are you sure? Shouldn't we just try to get her out of here as soon as possible?" Toph asked. Part of him agreed with her. Katara had actually passed out; that was a sure sign of how unstable the pressure of 'seeing' could make her.

At the same time, he understood that it was something the waterbender had to understand and come to terms with own her own, if only to gain experience and grow from it.

"I don't know if that's for the best," he admitted. "This isn't the only place in the world that has had violent clashes that lead in deaths. Katara will eventually find herself in another place, in the same situation."

"But you said she was just starting to come to terms with it - that's why she's here with you to begin with," Toph pointed out. "Don't you think something of this caliber may be too strong for her? It's like trying to bend a mountain when you just learned you could move a pebble."

"I still think I should talk to her about this," Aang insisted. "We should let her know what options she has and go from there. If we leave, we're just ignoring the problem."

"I think of it more like postponing it, but if you want to chat first, I understand," Toph nodded.

"When she's recovered a bit more," Aang assured her. "I don't want to tell her just yet. I also don't want her to do anything rash. She's not even awake yet."

A shadow filled the open doorway of the tofu restaurant and a thin, young man glanced around. "I'm looking for the Avatar." Aang immediately sat up in his seat and turned around. "Is he here?"

"I'm here!" he said as he began to rise. "How can I help you?"

"A message from a Mr. Zuko," the young man reported dutifully. "He says 'Katara is awake'."

* * *

"Breathe," Aang instructed. Katara took a deep breath. "Exhale slowly." She released it. Her eyes remained closed as she tried to ease her mind. The sun was about to set and Toph had asked if there was a change in what Katara saw once it got dark.

That was something neither the Avatar nor the firebender knew, as Katara's reactions didn't seem to depend on the time of day. Regardless, after she was deemed well enough to leave the clinic, Katara was advised to keep her eyes closed. Toph told her a diluted version of what she knew of the village and the waterbender nodded.

"I've been in big cities before, but I haven't felt something like that. That pressure...I could barely breathe," she admitted.

Aang decided to have her focus on breathing and controlling. The pressure she felt wasn't really there, he asserted. It was something her mind was reacting to. Even as he said it, they knew it was an easier concept to understand than actually act upon.

"You know, my entire life I've been blind," Toph said as she sat on the window sill of the inn, looking outside to where Aang and Katara were doing breathing exercises on the inn's limited yard. "I can't imagine seeing more than what's actually there. It's crazy."

"That's what she says she felt like," Zuko replied as he leaned against the wall, just outside the window. "Since she was a child." Toph shook her head.

"Must've been hard."

His eyes lowered. "I thought she was getting better," he said quietly. "She just wants to help, you know." The corners of Toph's lips tugged into a small smile.

"Don't worry," she assured him. "Your girlfriend will get through this."

Zuko snapped his head to the side and shot her a glare. "She's not my girlfriend," he said sharply.

"Hey, don't get defensive," the teenager said as she raised her hands. "I'm not the one who carried her all the way to the healer's and threw a fit when I was sent out."

He snorted. "We've been traveling together for days," he said as he lowered his eyes once more. "Who wouldn't be concerned?" She was, after all, his friend.

"Katara says there aren't many here in the village," a voice said. Zuko lifted his head as Aang approached them. Katara remained beneath the small pavillion, doing breathing exercises as the Avatar returned. "Nothing too unusual and none of the spirits here seem to have malicious intent."

"That's good," Zuko said, letting out a breath of relief. "Did she say anything about what she saw earlier? When we were walking?"

"Just that there were many restless spirits. They were clamoring for attention, so it's no wonder she felt so much pressure," Aang frowned. Zuko narrowed his eyes.

"She didn't say anything else?" he persisted. Aang looked at him curiously, but shook his head. "I see..."

"Did she say anything to you when she woke up?" Aang asked. Zuko shrugged.

"Nothing much," he said. He took a deep breath and pushed himself from the wall. "I'm going to take a walk."

"Okay," Aang said as he stepped aside. He watched Zuko round the inn and head for the street. Behind him, the earthbender frowned.

"He's lying, you know," she pointed out.

"About going for a walk?"

"About her not telling him much." Aang's eyes moved back to the figure still taking deep breaths. "He's not the type to do something reckless, is he?"

Aang cringed.

Zuko wasn't exactly reckless - at least he wouldn't call himself that. He just did what he felt was necessary. After all, he'd been in rather dire situations and without action, he wouldn't have been able to get through them. The important thing was that he had to do something.

Yet, he found himself standing at the edge of the village, staring out at the path that cut through the forest from where they had come. His eyes narrowed. The original settlement wasn't too far away and he was sure he could get there and back before Katara would realize he went.

At the same time, she asked him not to and despite his curiosity, he couldn't bring himself to simply wander off and investigate. She had seem so scared right before she collapsed.

His lips tightened into a line. At his sides, his hands clenched into fists. He could still feel her small, shaking hands gripping his as beneath his fingers, hot tears ran against his flesh. They had terrified her and all he could do was sit there, squeezing her hand as his own heart ached, helpless.

And a part of Zuko refused to let them do it again.

"You don't know what you're looking for," a voice said behind him, stopping him before he could even take a step forward. "And even if you did, I don't think Katara would want any of us going back there."

Gold eyes closed and Zuko took a deep breath. "Katara doesn't have to know."

"But she'll find out," Aang pointed out. He was frowning just a few paces behind the banished prince. "We have yet to talk fully about what happened with Katara and until we do, I think we should avoid going into the forest."

"Even if I do go, I can't see them," Zuko pointed out as he turned around and faced the young Avatar. "And as we've been told, if we can't see them, they can't affect us."

Aang slowly shook his head as he met Zuko's eyes. "The more we say that, the less true I'm starting to think it is," he said quietly. "Just because we do not see them, doesn't mean they do not affect us. Most people cannot see spirits. Not the dead, like Katara, but natural spirits - earth spirits and guides, yet they are able to touch us. As the Avatar, it would be naive of me to believe that the world ends with what our eyes see."

Zuko took a deep breath. "I don't want to sit around and do nothing. If I can just go look-"

"It'll be dark soon," Aang said. "And it'll be difficult to see and adjust. If they are as strong as they were to cause Katara to pass out like that, they may get to you. And I'm not talking causing you to faint, but possibly attaching to you to be led back to Katara."

The black-haired man's eyes narrowed. "Can they do that?"

"I'm starting to wonder why they can't," Aang countered carefully. Zuko let out another heavy breath and nodded.

"Then what?" he asked as he raised his hands in front of him, half-demanding and half-exasperated. "We just stand around?"

Aang smiled slightly. The Zuko he had been familiar with before the journey was always moving, always aloof and looking out for his interests. It was rare that the good prince he believed Zuko truly was had shone during his hard times abroad. Aside from Prince Lu Ten, Zuko refused to travel with anyone else.

It had been surprising to find him on Appa's saddle that morning they left.

"Why don't we get something to eat?" he suggested. "Monk Gyatso used to say that nothing soothed the tortured soul like something sweet."

Zuko gave him a strange look. "Are you serious?"

"We'll get some for Toph and Katara, too," Aang said as he approached Zuko and patted him on the shoulder as he passed. "There's a good bakery near here. I'm sure they have some good stuff!"

The firebender watched as the Avatar happily headed towards a building with several lanterns hanging from the eaves and shook his head. Sometimes, he was surprised that the balance of the world rested on the shoulders of an eighteen year-old with a sweet tooth.

* * *

For a vibrant little village so close to where a tragedy had happened, Katara was surprised that there weren't many spirits roaming. It was almost sparse compared to what she had experienced earlier. What was most surprising was that most of the spirits were new. From their clothes, it seemed that they had been simple villagers who still clung to the mortal world out of longing or regret. None seemed to be dressed from the same era as the ones in the forest.

On their short walk to the bathhouse, Katara had noticed a male spirit hovering over a woman and her small son. The child was animated, talking about his day at school while his mother smiled. Beside her, the spirit was smiling, too. It relaxed her to know that there didn't seem to be much negative feelings lingering.

Most seemed to act as guardian spirits to their living families, but Katara wasn't completely sure. She'd only read so much about it so far and silently made a note to look into it at the next Air Temple.

She clutched her small bundle of clean clothes to change into against her chest and stopped at a corner, waiting for an old man on a cart to pass before crossing the street. She was a bit disappointed that the inn they were staying at didn't have a connected bathhouse, but for the most part she didn't mind.

Most bathing places were communal in the Water Tribe, too, only she had the luxury of being the Chief's daughter and their family had their own bathing facilities. She was also lucky to be a waterbender. There were no terrible surprises of cold water for her, as there had been for Sokka.

She snickered to herself at the memory and made a mental note to send him and her family a letter when she had the chance.

Katara stopped at another corner and looked around. One block left of the inn, then two blocks down, cross the street, and go up one more block, she mentally repeated to herself. She could see the sign hanging in front of the bath house door and proceeded forward, nearly running into a little girl in drenched clothing.

"Hey! Careful!" Katara called as she stumbled to the side, gripping her clothes so they didn't fall out of her arms. She turned around to tell the child to slow down before she hurt herself, when her jaw dropped and her eyes widened. "Stop!"

The child easily speed across the street, not even bothering to stop at the corner. Katara felt her heart stop in her chest, frozen in place as she watched the child continue to run, completely unaffected by the carts that passed right through her.

Brown hands were shaking as they clawed into her bundle of clothes. Her heart slammed against her chest, slowly returning to its normal pace as the realization that the child was a spirit finally settled in. Katara's shoulders slumped down as she released a heavy breath.

The day she could tell living from dead instantly could not come soon enough.

She stared after the girl a bit longer, not noticing someone approaching with their own sack of clothes slung around them.

"See one?" Toph asked suddenly, making Katara jumped in place. She looked over her shoulder and saw the black-haired young woman standing there curiously, her head tilted to the side while pale eyes lingered in her direction.

"A child," Katara said. "You know, I see more dead children than I care for."

"Well, if you had the rest of your life to live and it was suddenly taken away, wouldn't you still want to remain and live it out?" Toph asked as she cocked her head to the side. Katara lowered her eyes. "So, are we following her or not?"

"What?" the waterbender jerked her head up, surprised.

Toph pointed past Katara, in the direction of where Katara was facing. "Are we following her?" her persisted. "Twinkle Toes told me all about why you're traveling with him and I think that if you're going to get ahold of this, maybe you should start off small, with that kid, and try to get used to it."

Katara narrowed her eyes and stood up straight. "You're right," she agreed as she turned back. "She's got to be lingering for a reason and will be for eternity if we don't do something."

"We?" Toph asked, curiously.

"You're the one who seems to want to follow," Katara pointed out. She began to cross the street once more. "If you want to stay, fine, but if I can help that child rest, I will." Toph smirked.

"I like you, Sweetness," she asserted. "You have more guts than I thought."

Katara rolled her eyes and followed the path she had seen the little girl go. They didn't have to go far before they reached an alley that lead to an old fountain.

The waterbender furrowed her brows. "That's a Fire Nation design," she said as she looked at the low, tiered fountain. She lifted her head and looked around the old walls and buildings that framed the small courtyard. "Was this part of the colony?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," Toph shrugged. "When it was reclaimed, town expansion went in another direction. So," she said. "Is she here?"

Katara circled the small fountain. It had probably once been a water source for the colony, though was no longer used as much. Parts of it had crumbled and water no longer flowed as smoothly as it should've. In addition, newer buildings being built around it were positioned in a higher elevation, most likely using earthbending, as rings around the courtyard ground proved that the fountain itself tended to flood.

"Does anyone even use this any more?" Katara murmured as she continued to look around.

Toph narrowed her eyes. "The drainage is poor here and no one's bothered fix it. You can barely see the sides of the fountain from how the ground has been elevated around it. It's probably a good...arm or two lengths down..." Her voice trailed off. "That's weird."

Katara's eyes were fixed on the top tier of the fountain. "What?" she asked quietly.

"I can't feel the water running against the stone anymore...it's like something is clogging it," Toph tilted her head to the side as a confused look graced her face. "This must be that fountain the inn lady was talking about. Every night, it shuts off. Really inconvenient, because no one can get water once the sun sets. They've tried to fix it, but to no one has been able to figure out why."

Katara swallowed. "I know why."

Toph could almost feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand. "The kid?"

"Yes," Katara whispered as she looked up, to where a girl dressed in soaked green rags was sitting, her face twisted in concentration as she seemed to will the water down. The fountain stopped trickling.

"Why would she do that?" Toph frowned. "Tell her to stop."

Katara looked around the open area and shook her head. "Toph, there isn't any barrier when the fountain over flows."

"Yeah, I know. They built the buildings around it specifically to avoid being flooded-"

"And there aren't any lanterns or torches," Katara pointed out as she looked around. She glanced at the little ghost girl in the soaking, ragged clothing and felt her heart clench. "Toph," Katara felt her eyes water. "She drowned here." She took in a deep breath. "And they couldn't find her body...at night."

The earthbender drew her head back. "How do you know?"

"Her clothes are waterlogged and worn, even now, she's still dripping with water," Katara said as her voice trembled. "She must've drowned at night. That's why she's been coming back; to stop the fountain and keep the area from flooding so that no one drowns in a fountain they can't see."

There was pain in the waterbender's voice and Toph clenched her jaw. She couldn't sense anything, other than the rise in water pressure against earth, but Katara was convinced. "And she'll be doing that forever?"

"Until she no longer needs to," Katara said. She shook her head helplessly. "But they're not going to close down the fountain just because I tell them the spirit of a child is trapped trying to prevent any more drownings."

She was right. It sounded far fetched to Toph and the Avatar had confirmed it himself. Her pale eyes narrowed. "All we need to do is prevent drownings at night?"

Katara nodded. "Yes. Should we talk to the village leader-"

"Move!" Toph ordered. Katara jerked her head back and whirled around. The earthbender slid back on one foot and narrowed her eyes. Her hands were held, steady, in front of her as she seemed to see the fountain in her mind. "Step back, Sweetness! This is going to get rough!"

Katara felt the ground move beneath her and she stumbled back until she fell against one of the building walls. Toph moved her hands in front of her, sliding her feet back and shifting the earth around the fountain until slabs of stone were pushed up. Katara could see the dust and dirt falling off the stone panels that had risen from the ground, lifting the fountain higher, revealing the original barrier that framed it.

Fire Nation dragons circled the fountain as Toph leveled out the area around it and then stomped her feet on the ground. Drainage holes appeared in four points around the fountain. "That should prevent overflowing," she said. "Stay here while I go procure some metal."

"Metal?" Katara choked out. Toph didn't bother to stop and continued back out into the main street. Katara rose to her feet and slowly approached the fountain. Aside from the chips and missing pieces of stone from the tiers, the fountain seemed to have risen from the ground undamaged. She looked up and saw the little girl looking around, sitting on the top tier with her hands over the hole. Katara smiled softly. "Hey, there," she called up as she raised her hands. "Did you see what she did? She's going to make this safe, so no one else will drown here."

"No, I don't need help! I can do this myself!" she heard the earthbender growl from the street. Katara turned her head and saw Toph with several metal barrel rings on her shoulders and arms.

"What are you going to do with those?" Katara exclaimed.

"There is still the issue of people falling into the actual fountain. Like I said, it's kind of deep and if you hit your head on one of these stone sides," she said as she tapped the edge of the fountain with her hand. "You're going to drown. So, best way to is to prevent it. With these!"

The waterbender crinkled her nose. "Barrel rings?"

"Heh," Toph smirked. "Watch with awe, Sugar Queen. They don't call me a genius for nothing."

As the world's first metalbender straightened the barrel rings and created a grating over the fountain's pool with her bare hands, Katara was inclined to agree. It was almost as if Toph were shaping them out of clay. Deft fingers easily worked the metal, connected them into place, and just as the last of the daylight vanished, a secure metal grating surrounded the pool, preventing anyone from falling in and drowning, but still allowing water to go through.

"Wow," Katara murmured. Suddenly, training the Avatar at twelve didn't seem like such an impressive feat for someone who could bend metal.

Toph grinned. "So, what does the kid think?"

Katara blinked and lifted her head. She looked back at the fountain, but found water to be running freely once more. The child was no longer there. She turned back to Toph and smiled softly. "I think she's happy."

"Good."

"She's hugging you."

Toph tensed. "What?"

"Take a deep breath," Katara instructed. "Relax and empty your mind," she repeated Aang's instructions.

"I don't know what Aang told you, but I'm not into meditation."

"It's not for meditation," Katara assured her. "It's so you can feel her gratitude." Her voice softened. "I think, right now, that's the emotion she's trying to send."

Toph snorted, but closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, trying to empty her mind as Aang had tried to teach her to do so many years earlier. She released her breath and tried again...and again.

"Sorry, Katara," the blind earthbender said. "I don't feel-"

Her eyes flew open and Katara smiled. "Warm?" she asked. Toph moved a hand down to where she felt the warmth against her left hip. There was no one there.

"Yeah...," she whispered. The feeling faded. "Weird..."

Katara chuckled and readjusted her things in her arm. She walked towards Toph and patted her on the shoulder. "Thanks, Toph," she said. "For your help and for believing me."

Toph slowly turned and followed Katara, still momentarily stunned by the phantom heat against her.

"It's still weird," the teenager murmured.

Katara chuckled softly. "I think it'll always be a little weird. Still, not many people would believe me."

"Aside from Aang pretty much vouching for you, it isn't too hard to believe. Seeing people don't get it, but there are many things there that you just don't see," Toph said as she walked alongside Katara. "Although, I didn't think ghosts could affect physical stuff in the living world."

"I didn't think they could, but I'm starting to have my doubts," Katara frowned. "I'll need to read up on it."

"It wouldn't be too strange, either, if you think about it. The spirit world overlaps with the world of the living. It wouldn't be too difficult to accept that the spirit world is an extension of the living one that mortals just can't see. I mean, if a spirit's will is strong enough and they linger after their deaths, why can't they affect the living world?"

Katara furrowed her brows. "I suppose we can't rule out that they can't."

"Well, you can discuss that sort of thing with Aang. I'm not too much into the spiritual side of things," Toph shrugged.

"Even more reason to thank you for your help," Katara said as they reached the bathhouse.

"I kind of felt for the girl. Two, please," Toph said as they reached the front counter. A middle-aged woman behind it handed them two wooden pieces and directed them to the women's section. "When I was little, I tried to run away. It was kind of stupid and I ended up lost in these caves. I had no idea where I was...I couldn't do anything, but sit and cry. I couldn't see and hadn't been taught earthbending as sight yet, so I was scared. Fear can easily be a strong emotion that ties you down."

"There was plenty of that back in the forest," Katara mumbled. They reached the changing area.

"Yeah...," the earthbender said. "About that forest. You know how this used to be a Fire Nation colony?"

"Yes, before Souzin was overthrown and the colonists called back," Katara nodded. "You guys told me earlier, remember?"

Toph slowed her movements. She took a deep breath. "Well...it wasn't the first in this area."

It took another few minutes, washing Toph's back, and a brief soak in the hot tubs before Katara managed to get the truth from the Earth Kingdom native. Even in the relaxing conditions, Katara gripped the sides of the stone tubs, breathing in shallow breaths as her heart raced at the memory.

It was no wonder they were so angry when Zuko appeared. He was from the Fire Nation and even if his clothes were worn, they were still clearly Fire Nation in style. She was right: the restless angry spirits were after him.

"Do you think they're back?" She suddenly shot up from her tub. Toph lifted her head in her direction and furrowed her brows.

"What?" she asked. She was just starting to unwind.

"Zuko and Aang. Do you think they're back at the inn already? We should go check," Katara rambled as she climbed out. Instead of reaching for the provided towel, she simply bended the water off her body and headed straight for her clothes.

"Hey! Wait a second, Katara!" Toph called out. She grumbled as she pulled herself out of the hot water to follow and reached for her towel. "I'm sure they're fine! Aang went after Zuko, so no matter what he thought he could get himself in, I'm sure he's okay."

Katara froze in the middle of tying her tunic. "What do you mean whatever he thought he could get himself into? You said he was going for a walk!"

"I said he left, saying he was going for a walk," Toph pointed out. "But from the feel of it, he had more on his mind."

"Oh, no...," Katara felt her heart sink. He wouldn't. Her movements grew more panicked as she adjusted her pants and bended the last of the water out of her hair.

"Katara!" Toph shouted before the waterbender could leave her behind. "Wait! Some of us are still wet, you know!" The brunette looked over her shoulder and gave Toph an apologetic look before lifting a hand and bending the water off Toph's body. The blind bender looked impressed. "Well, that was convenient."

"We have to go back!" Katara said as she rushed to the front of the bathhouse to get her boots.

Toph stumbled after, telling the woman at the counter to charge their visit to her, before exiting the bathhouse. "Why are you so worried about them? They're obviously skilled benders."

"It's Zuko!" Katara insisted. "When we were in the forest and he turned around, all the spirits that were nearing me became malicious. I could almost taste it in the air, Toph! If he went back to check-"

"Why would he go back to check?" Toph cried, exasperated.

"Because of what happened to me!" Katara insisted as she turned around. She stopped and lowered her arms. Now that she said it, it sounded a bit arrogant of a belief. Toph came to a stop in front of her, in the middle of the empty street, and crinkled her eyes.

"Then you really are his girlfriend?" she asked, as if asserting her earlier assumption. Katara shook her head and placed her hand over her forehead.

"No," she insisted. "That isn't what I meant. It's just...when I woke up, I was shaking and crying and I may have said some things I didn't think clearly about-"

"Ooh," Toph nodded understandingly. She'd seen this before. "So, you told him you love him and he didn't feel the same way."

"What?" Katara looked at her, stupefied. "No! This doesn't have anything to do with - ugh!" She threw her arms in the air. "I'm just concerned that he was curious and went back there when it's dangerous!"

"Katara," Toph assured her calmly. "Aang went after him and he is fine."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because they're walking towards us," Toph replied deadpan. She sniffed the air. "And I smell sweets."

"Hey!" Katara whirled around at the voice and saw Aang waving enthusiastically with a cloth bag in one hand and a stick with round balls covered in sugar in the other. Beside him, Zuko was chewing on one of the said pastry balls, still holding some skewers in one hand. "You guys want some? They had these rice flour sweets on sale and we bought a bunch!"

Zuko, still chewing, raised one hand with skewers to greet them. He swallowed and lifted some of the skewers to her. "We didn't know which ones you guys wanted so-"

"Tell me you didn't go into the forest," Katara cut him off as she grabbed a bunch of cloth on his chest and pulled him forward. Zuko drew his head back and crinkled his eyes as he met hers. For a moment, he felt guilty for having even contemplated it now that he could see the fear her eyes.

"No," he answered truthfully. "Aang and I went to a bakery and got some sweets. There was a line, so it took a while."

He could see the relief flood her face as her body visibly relaxed and released him. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to rest it against his shoulder as she exhaled deeply. "I was so worried," she wheezed. "Promise me you won't go."

He bit his lower lip. "I won't," he said as he put an arm around her and rested his head against hers. It was the best he could do with his hands full of sweets. "I thought about it and I'm curious, but I won't go if you don't want me to." Katara nodded, thankfully, and pulled back. He looked at her curiously. "But I would like to know why. I've been thinking about it all afternoon and you haven't said anything."

A few paces away, Aang and Toph lazily chewed on rice flour balls as they watched the other two benders.

"The spirits know you are from the Fire Nation and they had a lot of malicious intent when they saw you," she explained.

"But I can't see the spirits, so they won't hurt me," Zuko reminded her.

Her eyes remained steady on his. "We can't be sure about that."

His eyes crinkled up, but he said nothing. He nodded and handed her a skewer that still had some sweets on it. "Okay, I won't go near the forest," he asserted. "Here...we waited forever for these, so enjoy." She nodded her head and gingerly accepted the skewer.

"Octopus balls?" she asked, briefly wondering why they were coated with sugar. Zuko couldn't stop the mildly disgusted look on his face at the idea.

"Rice flour sweets," he corrected.

"Oh," Katara took a bit of one and nodded, pleasantly surprised. "Not the same, but still good."

"It's a good treat after a hot bath," Toph piped. "Even if we could've stayed longer...," she added under her breath.

"Sorry, Toph."

"Forget it," the earthbender shrugged. "Anyway, Twinkle Toes, we need you to have a little chat with a village elder tomorrow."

"Why?" Aang asked with a mouthful of sweets.

"No big reason," she shrugged. "Katara and I just fixed a fountain."

* * *

He yawned and leaned back lazily against the window sill of his room. Katara was just outside, in the courtyard, doing her nightly bending. He was sure it was late, but she had insisted on him joining her. He said he'd come, but didn't feel like getting his clothes sweaty, especially after he and Aang had gone to the bathhouse.

Katara, somewhat unsurprisingly, had been waiting outside and Zuko began to wonder if she was purposely staying near him to make sure he didn't wander off. His lips tugged into a frown. He wasn't a child. He was a grown man and if he promised her he wouldn't go into the forest, he wouldn't. Even if such a promise was rather childish to begin with.

"Okay," he finally conceded. It was either he went to bed then or pass out on the window sill. "I'm going to sleep."

"What? So soon?" Katara asked as she lowered her arms.

"The sun is going to rise - that's what's soon," Zuko grumbled. "You should get to bed, too. It's late."

Katara furrowed her brows, looking torn. "Alright."

He slid off his window sill and paused before he vanished within the room. "Katara," he waved her over and she stepped forward. When she was standing just outside his window he gave her a small bow of his head. "You have my word that I won't go into the forest. At least, not now." He heard her suck in a sharp breath and smiled softly. "When you're ready to tackle it, I'll be right by your side, but until then." He lifted his eyes and met hers. "I won't go off alone."

Her shoulders slowly fell and she let out a low breath. "I'm sorry for demanding such a thing of you," she said quietly. "I'm just...worried."

"I know," Zuko assured her. "But you'll get stronger and you'll be able to deal with them." He placed a hand on her shoulder and she nodded.

"Thanks, Zuko." She felt him give her a gentle squeeze before pulling back. "'Night."

"Good night." He headed back into his room and kicked off his boots as he fell back on his bed. He closed his eyes and listened to the sound of water being moved once more. He smiled slightly. He had to admire her resolve and, admittedly, it was nice being worried over. It had been quite some time since he had someone actually worry over him like she did.

He supposed traveling together, even for a short while, strengthened the friendship she and Aang insisted they had. Friends...

His tired gold eyes opened and stared at the blank ceiling. Friends were nice. Someone to talk to. To share worries, food, and laughter with. Someone to buy sweets for. Someone warm and had no sense of personal boundaries from the way she rested her head against his shoulder...

No. Zuko shook his head and rolled onto his side. That was dangerous territory and he was not in the right frame of mind to consider it. Katara was his friend and travel companion. They were close, relatively, but in a comfortable way. There was no heated attraction, no flirting - and he had flirted before, as shocking as it sounded. Kind of.

They were friends and he was sure they'd remain good ones. For that, he was thankful. With that thought asserted in his mind, Zuko found himself drifting to sleep to the sound of water rushing outside his window.

It may have been because they had been sleeping by the shore every night for the past few days, but when next he awoke, his first thought was where the background sound had gone. He rolled over on his bed and froze as he heard someone outside. He paused, listening for the voice again. Aang might've been returning from going to feed Appa, or maybe it was just the inn keeper. He closed his eyes and tried to return to sleep.

_"Zuko."_

His head hurt. He knew that soft, gentle voice and shook his head.  _"Zuko, are you coming?"_

They had at least another day to rest. Did Aang change their plans? He grumbled and sat up in bed.

The air was warm and humid. His bed was bigger than he remembered it being...and the sheets. When had the sheets been red? Hadn't they been a drab brown?

_"Zuzu, isn't going to get up. Let's just go Ember Island without him!"_

"Azula?" he asked. His eyes crinkled up as he kicked off the sheets and scrambled off the side of the bed. That was his sister's voice. Odd...he thought it would grow a bit deeper with age. His bare feet padded against the tiled floor and he slowly came to a pause halfway to his door. He looked down. Red and black tile. Red silk sleep robes.

He looked up. Vaulted ceilings held up by large red pillars. His eyes crinkled up. This was his room. Not at the inn, but back home - in the Fire Nation, at the palace.

 _"Zuko...!"_  a voice called from outside.

"Mom?" His chest rose and fell unsteadily as he stumbled forward and nearly pulled the door out of its frame in earnest. The hall was long, lined with towering pillars and ink paintings and vases. His chest tightened and he could feel sweat against his skin from the familiar air.

 _"Zuko...!"_  Then a girlish giggle. He snapped his head to the side and caught a shadow of a little girl trailing after a taller, statuesque figure.

His mother and sister. His eyes widened. Before he could stop himself and question what was going on, he was running. "Mom!" he wheezed.

 _"Hurry, Zuko."_  His mind was blank. All he could do, was follow her voice.

* * *

She was sprawled across her bed, having bended until she could barely stand in order to exhaust herself and allow for a fast submission to sleep. As soon as she had fallen on her bed, Katara slipped into dreamless sleep. To her, it was the best kind.

She didn't know how long she had been asleep when she felt cold drops dripping on to her face. She crinkled her shut eyes and tried to turn her head away from the dripping, only to feel it follow her no matter how she turned.

She raised her hands and tried to shield her face from the drops and stop whatever it was from leaking on top of her as she opened her eyes.

A pair of wide brown eyes looked down at her. Her body froze and it took everything in her not to scream. This wasn't the first time this happened and she was no longer a child. She was under the Avatar's care now; a grown woman. She needed to deal with things like this as a woman with a gift; not a frightened child huddling between her grandparents.

"Hi, Sweetie," Katara greeted the little girl as the child stepped back, as if sensing the living waterbender's initial fear. "Are you okay?"

The child nodded and pointed to the door. Katara cocked her head to the side. "Is it the fountain? Is something wrong at the fountain?" The child shook her head and moved closer to the door. One hand waved for Katara to follow, but the waterbender remained on her bed. "If it's not the fountain, what is it?"

The child's expression became urgent and waved for Katara to follow her. Sighing, the woman rose from her bed and shoved her feet into her boots before heading to the door. The child disappeared as Katara opened it. She looked down and saw the child pointing down the hall.

Confused, Katara turned her head. It was dark. It was quiet. The child appeared beside one of the doors and Katara felt her blood freeze.

One of the doors was left open, and it was to Zuko's room.


	4. Chapter Four

Azula never had a childish, innocent giggle. At least, not that Zuko could remember. She had a knowing laugh, though high pitched, as a child. It was always as if she knew something he didn't, which was often the source of his ire, but she was still his sister and she sincerely enjoyed playing with her brother, even going as far as to 'give in' to whatever game he wanted to play, as long as she was included.

The laughter that filled the air around him was that same laugh that he remembered. He knew who it belonged to, even though he couldn't see her clearly. All he saw were brief flashes of red and gold before she disappeared around corner. He could see a shrinking shadow in the distance, but her laugh...

"Zuko! Zuzu, hurry up!" she half taunted and half demanded of him. "You're too slow, Zuzu!"

"Azula, wait," he called, somewhat confused. "Where are you going?" She still sounded like the child he had left behind and in the back of his mind, he wondered why she still sounded like that. She was twenty-one now; he kept track of her birthday. Azula should've sounded older. Regardless of how odd it was, he continued to follow her.

"This way, Zuzu!" He sped up, following her voice as he stumbled forward through the familiar pillar lined corridors.

"Azula!" he shouted once more. He rounded a corner and found himself heading towards a set of large, open doors. He could smell something burning and crinkled his nose. Was something on fire? That was a stronger scent than the candles or the lanterns in the hall could produce.

He skidded to the stop at the open doors, preparing to rush in, only to freeze as the heat bore against his face. His arms immediate went up, shielding his face from the bright, hot yellow and orange flames.

"Zuko!" That wasn't Azula's voice any longer. Wide gold eyes peered past his lifted arms as his heart slammed against his chest. No...he couldn't be seeing what he was. Pain filled his face as he reached out.

"Mother!"

It was all just as he remembered it. The fire everywhere - climbing the curtains and tapestries, consuming the bed and the wooden pillars. The heat was scorching to the point that he could almost feel his skin blistering. The smell of the burning wood surrounded him and right in the very center of the room, a piece of a ceiling beam had collapsed, trapping a lone woman in red robes behind it.

"Zuko!" Her eyes had the same desperate plea that had been seared into his memory years ago. "Zuko!"

"Mother!" His usual logic and sense were forgotten. Despite the danger, he made a move to rush forward. He was an adult now, not the child who had been helpless to do anything. This time he could save her! He took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes. He'd just bend the fire out, make the path to the door clear, and his mother would be safe.

"Yes, Zuko," her voice urged as he moved towards her. "Come to me! Join me!"

His blood ran cold. That was his mother's voice, but those were not her words that night. This was off, his mind screamed.  _Everything_  was off. Azula hadn't even been there that night; she was at school. His mother had screamed for him to leave. Lastly, and most painfully, he no longer had a mother to save.

"This isn't real," he whispered as his arms lowered. He shook his head as he took a step back, his head pounding. "This can't be-"

"Zuko! Don't just stand there! Help me!" the woman trapped behind a wall of flames and fallen beams cried out. "Come here and help me!"

He grit his teeth. She looked like his mother. She sounded like Ursa, but she wasn't. "This isn't real!" he shouted. "You're not my mother!" He knew that, but he still couldn't tear himself away.

"Zuko, won't you stay with your me?" the woman asked, confused. She extended her hands. "Zuko, join me. I'm your mother." She moved forward. A sharp gasp escaped his lips as she walked through the fallen beams. "Join me, Zuko."

"No!" he shouted as he whirled around. He slammed into another figure waiting behind him and stumbled back, surprised to see her there.

A child was standing with her black hair in a neat topknot, pinned with a flame. Her small figure was draped in white robes instead of her favorite red, black, and gold academy uniform. She had to be called back from school, Zuko remembered.

She didn't know why until she got back to the palace. She had been confused; why were the halls draped with white banners and lanterns? Why didn't their mother meet her at the gate, as always? It had been the first and last time he had seen his younger sister cry.

That pair of angry, gold eyes rose and met his. "Where's Mother?" Her voice was cold and sharp.

"Azula," Zuko mumbled as he tried to look away. Her head was lowered and her arms were at his side, but her eyes were boring into his accusingly. "Azula, I-"

"Answer me!" she screeched, forcing Zuko back. Hateful eyes burned into him and Zuko whirled back around.

His eyes widened. The room on fire and their mother were gone. In their place, a courtyard that seemed to stretch on was lined with tell-tale white banners and lanterns. Zuko knew exactly what those meant and felt sick. They signaled the period after Princess Ursa had died.

"No...," he wheezed as he turned around. He didn't want to remember that part of his life. He didn't want to remember the consuming pain. He faced the child figure once more. His usually proud sister was trembling in her white mourning robes.

"Where's Mother!?" Azula screamed once more, her eyes brimming with tears. She gritted her teeth as she looked at him hatefully. "You left her!" she spat out. "You left her to die!"

"No!" Zuko shouted, taking a step forward and holding his hands up to try to calm the figure of his younger sister. "I didn't-"

"You abandoned her! You let her die!" Azula screamed. "She didn't deserve to die! It should've been you!" Zuko felt his chest clench as he jerked his head back. "You should've died instead of Mother! This is all your fault!"

"It's not!" Zuko choked. He didn't know he'd find his mother trapped within a burning room that night. He didn't know what had happened, but it wasn't that he didn't want to help. He had been screaming for help one moment and when he awoke, he was outside and that wing of the palace collapsed on itself.

Azula disappeared in front of him, but he could still hear her voice taunting him. "It's all your fault! You should've been the one to die!"

The hall had vanished and Zuko stumbled back. The walls were gone. The high ceilings no longer towered above him. Instead, he stood on the edge of a volcano, looking down into a pit of lava and fire. Bits of fallen of pillars floated and burst into flames in the pool below.

"Jump, Zuko," Azula's voice ordered behind him. "Jump and take mother's place!"

The banished prince turned around, about to yell that this wasn't real when something grabbed his ankle. He caught himself before he tumbled backwards and looked down at his foot. A burn covered hand was tightly grasping him.

"Join me, Zuko." He could feel her hanging from him, pulling him towards the edge where she was crawling from. Her clothes were steaming, torn and burnt. Her hair was on fire and her skin covered with red welts. He couldn't breathe. "Join me!"

"No!"

* * *

"Zuko?" She ignored manners in favor of calming the gnawing worry inside of her as she rushed through his open doorway. "Zuko?" she hissed into the darkness, demanding that he respond and acknowledge his safety.

No answer came and Katara stood in the middle of the modest room. She turned in her spot, her eyes raking critically over the room, hoping to find some sign of Zuko still there. The window was partially closed and no struggle had taken place from the look of everything still in their spots and in order.

She hoped that maybe he had just gone outside to relieve himself and left the door open in a half-asleep state.

Blue eyes settled on a pair of shoes by his bed. Her lips tugged into a deeper frown. If he had gone outside, why would he go barefoot? His bed seemed slept in, but his blankets had been kicked to the side in a hurry.

Katara turned around once more. There were no firebenders hiding in the shadows of the room and she drew her attention back to the door. Outside, a little girl was waving her hands, trying to get her attention.

"Where is he?" she asked in a shaky voice as she stepped forward. "Where's Zuko?"

The child darted from the door. Katara's eyes widened and she shot after her. She didn't bother closing his door or hers as she ran down the corner, following the soaking child as the child ran through the front doorway. Katara shot through the opening and stumbling outside, frantically trying to find the ghost child.

It was still dark and the air was chill. She could smell a sea breeze from the distance stronger than it had been that day. She stumbled to a stop and turned around. The door had been left open - Zuko must've come outside. Katara turned around warily. There was still no sign of anyone in front of the inn or on the street.

A movement caught her eye and she saw the child once more. She was running down the street, towards the last direction Katara wanted to go. Her stomach twisted with dread as she realized the likelihood of Zuko heading back to forest became greater. Her breaths deepened as she forced herself focus and go forward.

She ran after the child. With every step she took, she hoped that Zuko would appear. She hoped that she would run into him before he had gotten too far. She hoped that she would find him returning and that she could just yell at him for scaring her and then they could return to the inn and pretend it didn't happen.

But the child kept running, and Katara after her.

The edge of the village was fast approaching and at its borders, the lone path that lead back into an unusually dark forest.

Every muscle in Katara's body tensed. Her chest tightened, immediately remembering what had happened just hours earlier. Ahead of her, the little girl stopped. She turned around, her brows knit together confused as she watched Katara come to a halt. Wide blue eyes were staring ahead of her, a terrified expression on her face as her legs locked, refusing to take her a step further.

"Zuko," she wheezed as she fell to her knees. Her arms were limp at her sides as she crinkled her eyes and shook her head. "You swore..."

He said he wouldn't go. He told her - swore that he wouldn't go into the forest not a few hours ago and now she found herself sitting helplessly in front of the foreboding treeline, knowing full well that he was in there.

Katara's chest rose and fell unevenly as her body trembled. It was a cool and crisp night, but she could feel something coming from the darkness just steps away. It was a heavy, ominous feeling and it was malicious.

Her eyes crinkled up. Her brown hands tightened into fists at her sides and shook. She couldn't turn back now. He was in danger and she was his friend. Isn't that what she had said to him before? Friends. Katara clenched her teeth. She wouldn't abandon him. What did Zuko ever do to deserve such anger, anyway?

"Go to the Avatar." Her voice was low and serious, but it was shaking. The child who had stopped and was staring at her confused, tilted her head to the side. Katara's eyes flickered and met those of the spirit. "Please," she said as steadily as she could. "Go to the Avatar. Go to Aang! Bring him to us!"

Gathering all the determination she had, Katara plowed forward before her body locked up once more and refused to let her go. She rushed past the ghost child, running into the dark forest while she still had the strength to.

The wet fountain girl turned around. She couldn't go into the forest; the angry spirits within would absorb her. She had felt their malicious intent all the way to her fountain, but when she saw the waterbender and earthbender's friend running out of the inn, surrounded by dark shadows, she knew she had to wake the woman who tried to save her spirit.

Now, the kind woman needed her help once more and the child began to wander back, trying to figure out who the Avatar was. Was it the earthbender? But she couldn't sense her at all.

A snort and a low growl caught her attention. The spirit lifted her head and turned towards the old stables at the edge of town. Her eyes widened as she saw the massive, furry beast pushing against his stable doors, trying to get out. It was an air bison.

Deeper into the forest, Katara had readied herself for the onslaught of negative emotion and angry, clawing spirits that had bombarded earlier that day. She grit her teeth, prepared for a mass of dead to appear in in the dark and come to her.

The heavy, suffocating feeling still lingered in the air. The remnants of their deep seeded emotions at the time of their deaths could be felt all around her, but as she slowed her steps, she realized that none had appeared. She looked around. This was where she was earlier. The old foundations of the first colony were just a few paces away. The path they were on curved around it.

Katara remained on edge as she went from a determined run to a hesitant walk. This was different from that morning. Where were the spirits? Where were the ghosts crying out to her; appearing and desperately trying to get her attention? Why did them missing seem to make the very situation so much more alarming?

A heavy breath escaped her lips as she took another step and and looked around. No spirits. No Zuko, either.

Her eyes narrowed. "Zuko!" she shouted. Her voice seemed far too loud for the silent forest, but she persisted. "Zuko, where are you!?" He didn't answer, but she knew he was there. That knowledge only worsened the anxiety building within her. "Zuko, answer me!" she demanded.

She caught a movement from the corner of her eye and whirled around. Her lips opened to call out his name, only to have her jaw snap shut as the movement wasn't a barefooted, sleep attired firebender. That man was a soldier. Katara took a step back. Burnt and broken armor, cuts along his body, and ripped clothes signaled someone who had long been dead.

She turned her head away and darted forward, only to stop before she ran into or through another dead soldier. Katara sucked in a sharp breath as she drew her arms up. Chills ran through her body as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. They weren't the only ones. There were more.

Katara jerked her head from side to side. She could make out more soldiers walking towards her and coming from the open field surrounding the colony remains. Their hands were reaching out and Katara grit her teeth.

"No!" she shouted as her hands grasped the sides of her head. "No! I'm looking for Zuko!" she yelled as she closed her eyes tightly and blindly rushed forward, hoping to get away from them.

"Help," she heard their voices pleading with her. "Help him!"

Katara felt hot tears gather at her eyes. She stumbled to a stop and turned around, lowering her arms as she blinked back the tears and look towards the fallen spirits. She strained her breathing, trying to calm herself and focus once more.

"Tell me where he is!" Katara pleaded. "You must've seen him!" She eyed their tattered old uniforms. "He is Fire Nation!"

They didn't answer. The soldiers slowly walked towards her, extending their hands. Katara shook her head wildly. There were so many who died. From what the others had told her, she thought those who had fallen there would be Earth Kingdom citizens.

Her heart froze. The Earth Kingdom citizens who had died. Her eyes darted through the amassed dead soldiers. There was not a single Earth Kingdom dead amongst them, but that day, those who had grabbed on to her and suffocated her with their desperation and anger had been Earth Kingdom dead. Those who had swarmed Zuko just as she passed out had been  _Earth Kingdom dead_.

"Zuko!" Katara cried out as she whirled around. "Zuko! Where are you!?' she screamed into the night as her heart sank. "Zuko, answer me! Please!" The longer the silence went on, the more she felt like falling apart.

Surely, the fountain girl had come to warn her as soon as she could, right? Zuko couldn't have gotten too far! Yet, even as she tried to make sense of it all, she knew that Zuko was already in danger. Panic spread through her quickly and her hands grasped at her tangled brown hair as she stood in place, trembling with fear.

This was not happening. This was not happening.

How could she, a trained healer, help the dead, but be unable to save a living friend? Wave after wave of helplessness slammed into her. What had she done wrong? What had Zuko done wrong?

She grit her teeth as she stumbled forward, wavering down the worn path. Her shallow breathing was making her light headed and she stopped, falling to her knees once more. The air was thicker the further she got from the old foundations. She could barely breathe.

That was odd.

Her chest rose and fell with a labored breath once more and she lifted her head. The farther she was getting from the old foundations, the more she was feeling that stifling air that had surrounded her earlier. Had the spirits moved?

Her eyes widened. She snapped her head over her shoulder. The soldiers were still coming towards her, but seemed too tied to the fallen colony to reach her quickly. Their arms were extended and they were reaching for her.

Katara narrowed her eyes. No, they weren't reaching for her. They were  _pointing_. Katara turned back to the path and squinted. She could feel the air become thicker ahead and where it was thicker, there were bound to be more angry spirits.

Where there were angry spirits, there would be Zuko.

Katara grit her teeth and pushed herself up. Her knees wobbled as she stumbled forward. "Breathe, Katara, breathe," she chanted quietly to herself as she forced her breathing to even as Aang and the monks had taught her. She needed to maintain control. She needed to be calm and focus.

She couldn't risk the fear overwhelming her when someone's life was on the line. She struggled through the thick air and the pressure that weighed her down. Sweat gathered at her temples as she continued forward.

Katara could see the break in the trees. Beyond it, she could hear the crash of the waves against the rocks, at the base of the cliffs. Unlike earlier, when the sea breeze filled the area, she could only feel a heavy, suffocating, still air. As she broke through the forest, she could see why.

A mass of spirits were concentrated on the very edge of the cliff. They were spilling over the edge and were clinging or tugging at someone in the center. She instinctively knew who the spirits were surrounding and screamed.

"Zuko!" The figure in the center began to move. The dead hanging off of him continued to weigh him down, but Katara could see the man standing dumbly amongst them. Her heart skipped a beat as her eyes flickered to the cliff's edge he was far too close to. She stepped forward and extended her hands. "Zuko! Zuko, can you hear me!?"

The blank eyes of the dead turned towards her and she stopped in mid step. She had been noticed.

Angry yells escaped the coil of tangled spirits around Zuko as several flew towards her. Katara screamed and raised her arms to shield herself. She shut her eyes, but still felt the pressure nearly knock her down.

She could feel hands clawing at her limbs, trying to hold her back.

"Zuko!" she cried out as she forced herself to focus on him. "Answer me!"

His eyes crinkled up as he heard her voice. "Katara?"

"Don't move, Zuko!" she cried out breathlessly as she forced herself through the seemingly solid-bodies.

He was still, but could feel the weight on his shoulders, pulling him back. His brows furrowed, confused. Was he dizzy? He could feel himself swaying slightly. Was it the fumes from the fire? But there hadn't been a real fire, had there? He was so confused.

"Zuko!" Again, he heard her voice and turned, confused. What was Katara doing in the Fire Nation?

He could make out the panic on her face as she stumbled forward. Smoke was all around, trying to pull her back. Zuko's heart shot to his chest. His eyes widened and he moved forward, extending his arm towards her. He wouldn't allow her to be another victim. "Katara!"

"Take my hand!" she cried out. He took another step forward and hope bubbled within her. He was listening! A wry smile dared to tug at her lips. "Another step, Zuko! You're almost there!"

The black-haired man lifted a leg and felt a force pull him back. His foot flew down, trying to stabilize himself as he swayed. Katara let out a horrified cry.

Odd, he thought to himself: he couldn't move. Why couldn't he move? His eyes crinkled up as he tried to breath. The air was thick and heavy. It no longer smelled of smoke and ash, but it was hard to breathe. Zuko tried again and winced. His chest rose and fell, but could hardly fill up with air. He blinked.

He stumbled.

They were congregating around him. Pulling and pushing. She could see the expression on his face as he struggled to breathe. They were suffocating him, as they had done to her. Katara could see his body wavering and inching towards the edge. She grit her teeth and pushed forward, trying to ignore the pressure pushing against her and holding her back.

She was fighting something. Her face was determined and her narrowed eyes were damp. Zuko frowned and tried to lean forward, fighting his sudden headache and dizziness to reach for her.

"Katara..." His voice tightened. Her name was wheezed more than it was actually said. She was close to him and there was a look of panic on his face as the weight behind him dragged him back. She lunged forward.

His fingertips barely brush hers as she reached him, but it was too late. They had been too close to the edge, too overwhelmed. They fell back and were falling.

In an instant, the weight that had surrounded them and pulled them back and down vanished. The rush of the wind swept around them, bringing them back to reality as they plummeted.

In the back of her mind, she knew she had to waterbender to save them; to have the water come up and cushion their fall. But her body wouldn't obey her orders and as they fell, she was angry. How could she put souls to rest, but couldn't even save the living. She couldn't even save her friend.

She felt arms wrap around her as Zuko twisted his body, maneuvering himself under her. Her eyes widened as he closed his and readied himself for impact. She didn't need to die because the spirits wanted him dead.

They didn't hear the roar of the sea below them or the shouts above. Neither saw the pillar of water rising quickly to catch them. Zuko's back slammed into it and water surrounded them.

She could hear voices, but couldn't make out what they were saying. Katara opened her eyes and inhaled sharply. She was knee deep in dried grass. To her right, a newly built settlement. Two her left, a large group of men marching towards it. Her eyes crinkled up as she grasped her pounding head.

Where was she? This wasn't the cliff. Did she die when they fell off? All she remembered was Zuko and water and then darkness.

* * *

"Stop where you are, Earth Kingdom villagers!" a man shouted from the settlement. "Stand down!"

"How dare you tell us to stand down in our own land! This is the Earth Kingdom!" another man at the head of the mob shouted back. "We've given you fair warning! Return to the Fire Nation!"

Katara couldn't breathe. Her head snapped from one side to the other as her heart slammed against her chest. The tension between the two groups was high and she knew the last provocation before complete chaos ensued was coming.

She stood not too far from a modest clay wall that surrounded a settlement. Standing between the newly built, little homesteads were a row of Fire Nation soldiers. Their uniforms were outdated compared to what she had seen the last time she was in the Fire Nation, but they were still easily identifiable, even in the dark. They looked to have been from the Souzin era.

But that was impossible.

"Hold steady," one of the soldiers said in a low voice as they eyed a group of approaching men. He seemed to have been the leader of the soldiers. He took a step forward and shifted into a fighting stance. "By order of the Fire Lord Souzin, this land has been claimed for the Fire Nation! We will not relent!"

"This is not your land!" Katara heard a familiar rumble around her and felt the earth move.

She instinctively ran forward. "Wait!" she shouted. She didn't make it more than two steps before someone grabbed her from behind. She screamed as she was pulled back against a solid body.

"It's not use, Katara!" a man's voice hissed in her ear. "They can't hear you! This is just a memory - a look into the past!"

She didn't know whether to cry or continue screaming. The arms around her, holding her back, didn't lower and she could only watch as the earth villagers attacked the soldiers and the soldiers fight back.

"What's going on, Zuko?" she choked as she watched the soldiers retaliate. They used firebending to shatter and detour the boulders flying towards them and back into the crowd of villagers. Yells were heard and Katara could see men from the settlement rushing out to join the fray. Katara shook her head. "What is this?"

"I think it's the skirmish that led to that tragedy Aang and Toph were talking about," Zuko said as he held her back. He tightened his arms around her as he felt her tremble and begin to choke back tears.

"This isn't working!" one of the younger villagers shouted. He turned to a small group behind him. "Forget the soldiers! Go straight through the settlement!"

The earth rumbled once more and large slabs of earth were overturned. They were lifted and used as shields against the firebenders. The villagers ducked behind the earth and then raged forward. Voices screamed as they broke through the line of soldiers and rammed into one of the settlements.

Enraged yells filled the night air and suddenly, a villager was set ablaze. Katara's hands flew to her mouth to cover her screaming as she watched the soldiers try to both contain the villagers rampaging through the settlement and help older villagers put out the fires that had been ignited all around the field.

Who was on what side started to blur. There was fighting. There was screaming. There were people trying to help other people. The Earth Kingdom villagers didn't seem to have wanted to actually hurt the colonists, just scare them into leaving, but one desperate action led to another.

And Katara was crying. Zuko shut his eyes tight and leaned forward, pressing his head against the back of hers as his hand rose and covered her eyes. Both of them knew what they saw had already happened and there was nothing they could do to stop it, but it was happening right in front of them, if they were actually there.

Zuko held the waterbender tighter. Was this what Katara always saw so vividly when it came to the dead? He could understand now why she had seen it as a curse and why she wanted her ability sealed. To have to watch people suffer and die, only to exist in the afterlife, tied down and still suffering was torture.

The screaming and yelling died down and Zuko dared open his eyes. He immediately narrowed them as he relaxed his hold on Katara and looked around.

The settlement was gone. The soldiers, the villagers, the burning bodies and fields had disappeared. He looked down at the dirt path they stood on and furrowed his brows. Was that it? Were they back?

"It's over," he rasped as he uncoiled his arms from around Katara.

She remained standing stiffly in front of him. Her eyes wide and staring ahead of her as her breathing struggled to stay even. "No," she replied in a strained voice. "It's not."

He furrowed his brows and looked at her before following her eyes out into the open area in front of them. He couldn't see anything or anyone. Dread filled him as he realized  _she did_. He reached for her, only to have Katara move in front of him and face the field.

"Leave him alone," she said in a low voice. The malicious feeling was back and with it, the all too real bodies of burned and mutilated villagers stalking towards them. She gritted her teeth and glared. "He had nothing to do with your deaths!" They didn't stop.

"Katara, what's going on?" Zuko demanded behind her.

"I don't know what I can do to put them to rest, Zuko," Katara admitted in a helpless voice. "I don't know what to do. They aren't like the others...they won't find peace so easily." He scowled and stepped around her. Her eyes went wide. "What are you doing!?"

"They want me, right?" he said as he looked around. He couldn't see anyone or feel anything.

"Step back!" Katara growled as she grabbed his arm and tried to pull him behind her. "You don't understand! They're malicious ghosts, Zuko! They want to harm you!"

"And with good reason," he muttered, unheard, under his breath.

"Zuko, stay behind-" Her voice was cut off as she fell her to knees. She couldn't breath again. The weight of the spirits descended upon her and Zuko whirled around.

"Katara!"

"Run!" she shouted. They were trying to grab on to him and Zuko stopped. He could feel pressure around him once more. A look of confusion filled his face. He couldn't see anyone, but he couldn't move. Something was holding him. Katara shook her head. "Zuko, run! I can't help! I don't know how, so you have to get away before they get you!"

She looked frantic. Sweat glistened against her skin as she labored to breathe against whatever was pressing against her.

He narrowed his eyes. Of course Katara couldn't help. She could see them, but their anger was to him, or rather - the Fire Nation and his great-grandfather. The ghosts needed peace and he was the one who could give it to them.

He took a deep breath and bent down, resting on his knees as he faced the field where the assumed the spirits were. Ignoring Katara's yelling for him to get up and leave, he prostrated his body, bending over his legs and lowering his head to the ground. He kept his hands firmly resting before his head as he closed his eyes.

"I beg for the forgiveness of my ancestors' sins," he began in a firm, but humbled voice. "I beg forgiveness from those who have died at the hands of my people, brought forth from the actions of my forefathers. I beg for atonement."

"No!" Katara shouted as the spirits released their hold on her and began to congregate to the man bowing before them. "You should not be punished for crimes you did not commit!"

"And neither should you!" he shouted back, without moving from his position. He kept his head low as he grit his teeth. "Spirits, spare her," he pleaded quietly. "Do what you wish to me, but do not harm my friend."

"Zuko!"

He could feel a heavy weight around him and he grimaced. The air was heavy and his breath was growing short.

"The spirits gave me the gift to see and speak to the dead!" Katara shouted as she swept through the dead, trying to get to Zuko. "I said I would use what I see to help the restless dead, but I never said it would be at the expense of the lives of the living!"

Her hand clamped on to Zuko's shoulders and she felt a cool breeze sweep over them. She turned her head towards the source and felt her body automatically relax.

An elderly man stood beside them in long, neatly pressed red robes and long, white hair and beard. A red hat rested atop his head as his glowing eyes dulled back into normal pupils. She had never seen him before and wasn't sure if he was spirit or man.

"This is my burden to carry," he said in a low voice. "For I had failed to prevent this tragedy."

He was familiar and his presence was comforting. Katara said nothing as he moved in front of the two benders. His presence attracted the attention of the spirits. The pressure around them lightened as Katara watched the dead villagers follow the old man into the field.

"I will take responsibility for these souls," he told her. He stopped in the middle of the field and Katara watched as his eyes began to glow once more.

She realized who he was. "Avatar Roku?"

He didn't answer. Despite her efforts, she head felt heavy once more and her eyes began to close. She tiredly fell against her friend's body and succumed to nothingness once more.

* * *

The postmaster couldn't conceal his surprised expression as he looked at the imprint of the Fire National Royal Seal on the red and gold wax. His green eyes flickered to the golden-eyed man in front of him, carefully counting out the amount owed for postage. He didn't look exactly like a royal; his hair was an unruly, his clothes were clearly worn out.

"Do you know who you're sending this to-" The postmaster's voice was cut off as Zuko lifted his head and narrowed his eyes. This wouldn't be the first time he'd been questioned when he tried to mail something. He silently reached into his pocket and removed a carefully wrapped document.

"Yes," he replied in a low voice as he held open the paper. It was a Fire Nation passport for a royal stamped with both his uncle's royal stamp and his. "I'm sending it to my uncle and I would like it to get there quickly."

He pushed his money forward and the postmaster nodded. He quickly stamped the letter from Zuko and began counting Zuko's money. "It shouldn't take longer than two weeks to arrive, Your Highness."

The scarred man ignored the title and gave the older man a nod before turning around. He made it several steps to the door when another figure filled the doorway, looking surprised as she saw him.

"Zuko." She drew her head back and hesitated entering. He immediately lowered his eyes.

"Katara," he greeted lamely. A strained period of silence settled over them, as it had whenever they had been left in the same room together the last two days. "What are you doing here?"

The waterbender had her water skin slung over her shoulder and she was gripping a small packet in one hand. "I just wanted to send a letter home," she shrugged, lifting the packet carefully. "It's been awhile since I wrote home." She stepped into the modest building and looked at him curiously. "You?"

That was the most they've spoken in two days, he thought to himself, irritated. Before that, they spent quite a lot of time talking whenever they were together. The topics never seemed to matter. It could've been about food, pet preferences, bending, or what have you, but after that night on the cliff, they hardly spoke. What had silenced them?

"Same," he said. "I haven't written home in a while, either."

"Oh," Katara nodded. She stepped forward and he moved to the side to let her through. She headed to the counter and Zuko prepared to leave. "Hey, wait," she called behind him. He stopped at the doorway, looking a bit surprised as he looked over his shoulder. Katara reached the counter and handed the postmaster her packet. She met Zuko's eyes. "Give me a moment."

She offered him a hopeful smile and he returned it. His shoulders relaxed slightly as he stood patiently by the door, waiting for her to finish her business. It seems he wasn't the only one who was bothered that they hadn't spoken since they woke up two mornings earlier.

After what they had seen and been through, he really couldn't blame her for feeling confused or uncomfortable. The things she had seen could've traumatized anyone. He was sure it had traumatized him, and Katara had it worse. She had seen the dead attacking not only her, but him. The ordeal had mentally and emotionally drained them and it seemed that what they had gone through together was the last thing they wanted to talk about with each other.

Zuko had woken up first to the sound of Aang's frantic voice calling for them to wake up. They were just a few paces from the cliff's edge. He could hear the water crashing against the rocks below. When he had shifted, he felt her body draped across him. Her fingers were curled into his shirt, refusing to release him.

Aang had to pry Katara's fingers from him before allowing Toph to move Katara, who seemed to have had it worse than Zuko due to her 'gift'. The waterbender had been placed against Appa, who had curled into a ball to surround the woman protectively. Briefly, Zuko had wondered if there were any more spirits around.

When she had awoken, Zuko was sitting on the edge of the cliff with Aang. Their voices were low and all Zuko could do was tell the Avatar that Katara tried to shield him and that he blamed himself for putting her through such an ordeal. He had been reminded once more of his failure to save his mother and because of him, they almost lost Katara as well. While not exactly his fault, he acknowledged Aang's insistence, he was still deeply involved and that was enough to make it difficult for him to meet her eyes.

"I wouldn't bother them right now, Katara," Toph had told the waterbender solemnly as Katara's gaze settled on the firebender and looked ready to call to the man. "He's still a bit shaken by what happened and you still need to rest."

Her head still felt heavy and Katara nodded. "Is he alright?" she had asked.

"Yeah...at least, he's not physically hurt." Toph had taken a seat on the bison, beside Katara. "What about you? You're the one who is most susceptible."

It wasn't her the spirits were after. Katara nodded. "What happened?"

Toph had sighed heavily. "Appa nearly woke up the entire village trying to get to us. When Aang and I finally came outside, he didn't bother to let us ride him. He just took off. Aang and I ran after him. He led us to the edge of town and when we stopped to look at the stables he had broken out of, Aang said he felt something pulling him towards the forest. He said it felt like a warm, wet hand, but when he looked, there was no one there."

Katara had tilted her head back against Appa. S,o the girl at the fountain at done as she was told. Silently, the waterbender thanked the child. "And you went into the forest."

"Yeah," Toph had agreed. "It wasn't too hard to figure out that you two probably went in there." Then the earthbender had paused and crinkled her eyes. "Aang barely got to you guys," she had said quietly. "You two fell off the cliff."

Katara's eyes had darted back to the cliff's edge. Her skin had paled. It wasn't just a dream, then. They really had fallen off. "That wasn't my bending that saved us." She had been too petrified.

"It was Aang," Toph had confirmed. "When he got you back on to dry land, you were both knocked out. He said he felt  _them_  all around us and was worried about you two. That's when he decided to go into the Avatar state. I don't know what happened, but after he came out, Zuko woke up. We were all worried when you didn't."

Katara had shut her eyes tightly. She could still see Zuko teetering on the edge, surrounded by spirits pulling him down. There was anger and hate coming from the dead, but they had twisted his emotions as well. She could feel the pain around him. She could sense so much guilt and fear.

Toph had tensed as she heard Katara's near silent sniffling, which signaled tears. As Katara covered her face with her hands, Toph had called Aang and Zuko. Immediately, the two men had rose to their feet and were coming over.

"Katara!" Aang had called, concerned. His eyes looked saddened as he reached the trembling waterbender. "Katara, it's alright," he assured her softly as he knelt down in front of her. "It's alright. It's all over now, Katara. The spirits are at peace."

Knowing that didn't cleanse her of all the intense emotions she had felt. She had nodded her head understandingly, but couldn't stop crying. Katara had wiped frustratedly at her eyes, trying to stop the tears as she looked up. She looked past the concerned Avatar and earthbender, to the man who had stopped a few paces away.

Zuko looked hesitant to step forward, as if him doing so would send her spiraling into another episode. However, Katara couldn't describe the relief she felt seeing him safe in front of her. Her body had seemed to move on its own as she slid forward and tried to stand.

Her legs wobbled beneath her and Aang quickly helped steady her. "Not so fast, Sweetness!" Toph had insisted with a frown. "You just woke up. You're not all there, yet!"

Katara had paid them no mind. She looked towards black-haired man. "Zuko," she choked out. He couldn't look at her. He refused to. His eyes had been turned away, but she could see his face flushed and a few remaining streaks from tears across his face. "Zuko, are-"

"I'm sorry," he said quickly as he shut his eyes and tightened his hands into fists at his sides. "I'm sorry for going into the forest."

She had shaken her head. It wasn't his fault. She knew it wasn't his fault. "No, I-"

Zuko had stepped back. "We should get back to the inn, especially Katara," he said as he seemed to walk around them purposefully. "She needs to rest."

"Zuko!" Katara shouted, stopping him in his tracks. She still looked unsteady and was propped up by Aang. She looked at him beseechingly. "Are you okay?" she stressed as she looked at his back.

His shoulders rose and fell with a heavy breath. "I can't see the dead, like you can," he had told her solemnly. "I don't know what you saw, so yes," he swallowed. "I'm alright."

He had tried his best to avoid her after that and give her time to rest. Aang had encouraged him to speak to her after a day and he had dropped by her room with some skewered octopus balls, but she was asleep. He left a note saying he hoped she was better and then left.

Since then, all the numerous topics they discussed before that fateful night seemed to disappear and uncomfortable silence replaced it. They'd be stuck with each other for another long flight soon and part of him was glad that she called for him to wait. Perhaps they could clear the air.

"The main village at the Southern Water Tribe," Katara seemed to stress. "Not the Northern one."

"Yes, I know," the postmaster sighed as he stamped her small packet. "Anything else?"

"No," Katara said as she handed him some coins. Once they were counted, he gave her a nod and Katara turned around.

Zuko waited for her to reach him before he straightened up and followed her outside. "Letter to your parents?"

"And my grandparents and my brother," Katara replied. "To yours?"

"To my uncle," Zuko answered. He adjusted the small leather sack slung across his back. "Are you heading to the meeting place?"

"Are you?" Katara asked. "Aang and Toph were still getting the last packages together when I left the inn."

He hesitated. "I was going back to the forest." He waited for her to respond with a frown or tell him not to go.

"The forest?" she asked, her voice quieter. He slowed in front of a small store and looked at her.

"I just want to pay my respects to the dead," he admitted as he moved closer to the store's doorway. "My mother used to take us to the temple to light incense and-"

"I get it," Katara acknowledged. He watched her hands grasp the sides of her tunic and let out a small breath.

"It won't be long," Zuko assured her as he entered the store. "I'll meet you with the others." He gave a nod to the shop keep as he made his way to a shelf with rows in incense sticks in boxes. As he picked a few, he heard shuffling behind him.

"I'll go with you," Katara told him. He immediately shook his head.

"It's alright, Katara. You don't need to push yourself," he said as he headed to the counter. He placed the items on the surface and dug out his money pouch.

"No, I want to come." A brown hand rested on his forearm and he paused, coins still in his hands. His eyes lingered on her hand before rising and looking at her unsurely.

"Are you sure?" he asked. She withdrew her hand from his arm and he handed the payment to the shopkeep before gathering the few sticks in his hands. Beside him, Katara nodded.

"You heard what Aang said. The spirits are at rest now." She would be fine was what she was trying to say. Regardless, the memory of her unconscious, the images of her screaming and crying were still fresh in his mind and Zuko hesitated. The waterbender forced a smile on her face. "Please, Zuko."

He took a reluctant breath. "You can do what you want," he muttered concedingly before shoving the incense into his bag and turning away from her. Katara looked relieved and followed him outside the store.

Silence settled over them once more. Katara kept her eyes down, trying to find something to say to the Firebender. Something that didn't revolve around them falling off a cliff and nearly dying. Beside her, Zuko looked ahead of them. He couldn't quell his concern. What if Aang was wrong? What if there were still spirits lingering? If so, did they pose a threat to Katara?

He didn't realize he had quickened his pace and was now walking ahead of her, as if ready to scout ahead before she arrived.

"Zuko," Katara called out, frowning as she quickened her own walk to catch up. "We have some time. There isn't a need to rush."

He didn't mean to. He was just worried. Honestly, how could he not be? He slowed down and took a deep breath. "Sorry," he mumbled as she reached him.

"It's alright," Katara replied softly as she stopped beside him and looked towards the forest they were about to enter. Despite Aang's assurance that the angry spirits were at peace, she still felt nervous. Her hands clenched at her sides and she bit her lower lip. There was nothing to be afraid of, she told herself. They would be fine now.

Zuko could almost read her thoughts on her face and silently berated himself. He knew the situation, yet still told her what he was going to do.

"Katara-"

"I'm not scared," she asserted, her eyes still fixed on the tree line. She narrowed them and seemed to straighten her back.

"I didn't say you were," he said as Katara marched forward ahead of him. "Katara, wait," he frowned as he moved forward and reached for her wrist.

She felt his fingers close around her and she turned around, giving him a confused look. "Zuko, I told you. I'm not scared."

"That doesn't matter," the scarred firebender frowned. "I still need to -  _want_ to apologize."

Her brows immediately knit together, confused. "What for?" His eyes crinkled. Before he could explain, she shook her head and reached for his hand. She pried his fingers off her wrist before grasping his hands in hers and giving them a firm squeeze. "It wasn't your fault you went into the forest. I can see the dead, remember?" Katara reminded him as she met his eyes beseechingly. "I can see them and I know more than most what they are capable of." Zuko lowered his head, unwilling to accept that reason. When he avoided her eyes she squeezed his hands once more. "It's not your fault," she told him firmly. "I don't know what you saw that led you to that cliff, but whatever it was wasn't your fault."

"That doesn't change what happened," Zuko said as he finally lifted his head and met her eyes. "It was one thing for me to put myself in danger, but because I let myself fall into a trap and be led away, you nearly died, too," he reminded her bitterly. "And even if you didn't, that won't erase what you  _saw_  and what you  _felt_. That won't change what I got you into." He shook his head and pulled his hands away from hers. "You didn't need to see all of that and I'm sorry." He stepped away from her. "I'm so sorry, Katara."

Her eyes moistened. She bit her lower lip once more. "I would've seen them, Zuko...with or without you there," she told him, defeated. "I will always see more things than I am willing to."

"But that doesn't mean we should willingly expose you to them."

"You weren't yourself," Katara stressed once more. "Something was pulling you down -  _they_  were pulling you down! They lured you to the forest and that cliff!"

Zuko held his breath. He grit his teeth and clenched his fists at his side. "They didn't do it alone." He turned and quickly swept past her. "I supplied all the fuel they needed."

The waterbender looked confused as she watched Zuko enter the forest. Part of him hoped that she wouldn't follow, but he found himself relieved when he heard her footsteps behind him.

"Zuko-"

"I was following my sister," he revealed without turning back. "I knew something was wrong. I hadn't seen her since I left several years ago. She's an adult now, but that night, she still sounded like the child I remember her to be."

Katara looked concerned as she easily caught up with him. "Did something happen to her?"

"My sister? No, she's fine. She's safe," he told her, though sounded as if he were trying to convince himself. "I was following her, but who I found was my mother."

The Water Tribe woman nearly came to a stop. She drew her head up and watched his fleeting back as she remembered his first request of her. His mother had died and he was sure it was a murder.

"She died in a fire," Zuko explained. "I saw her and...and I tried to save her. I still remember her last words to me, Katara. She told me to get away. To run so that the fire wouldn't consume me, too. The dead showed me something else. That night, my mother was trying to bring me with her."

Katara's eyes widened. Her heart ached at the thought as she watched Zuko stop by the side of the path. She didn't know the dead could do that. It was cruel and a part of her couldn't help but resent the spirits for twisting an already terrible memory.

"We can light the incense here," Zuko said as he cleared a little space by the side of the path and placed a near-by rock in front of him for the sticks to lean on. He gently pinched the top of the incense sticks and upon releasing the, thin streams of smoke coiled into the air. As he placed them carefully against the rock and bowed his head, Katara knelt down beside him.

"Zuko..."

"Don't think that any of this happened because of you," he told her firmly as he closed his eyes and bowed his head. "I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Whether I was coming here alone or with the others, I would've been targeted no matter what. While I wish you hadn't been, I am grateful that you're with me. If you weren't, I would've blindly stepped off the cliff and Aang would've never had a chance to intervene."

She lowered her head and closed her eyes before she bowed. "I'm grateful you're with me, too," she said quietly. A warm hand rested over his. "I couldn't handle it alone. Thank you."

His fingers wove between hers as they remained seated beside each other, silently accepting the comfort. Zuko rarely heard those words spoken to him and for a man who had spent so much time alone, it was reassuring to know that there was at least one person who was glad he existed and even welcomed it.

For Katara, the support system around her had always tried to find a way to seal her vision as the answer to her problems. However, Zuko was the one who most encouraged her to accept it and stood by her as a means of support. That was a different answer to the problem. One that didn't make the problem one at all. It was going to be a long, tiring journey, but it was one she was more prepared for now.

The banished prince closed his eyes and took a deep breath. After what she had done for him, he at least owed her the truth on his background.

"The angry spirits didn't just attack me because I was from the Fire Nation," he told her. He knew why they had targeted him. "My great-grandfather-"

"There they are!" a voice pierced the air around them and Katara immediately turned her head away from Zuko and towards the sound of the voice. Toph was running towards them. "What's taking you guys so long...oh..." The black-haired young woman grinned lopsidedly as she slowed to a stop a few paces behind them. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked knowingly.

For a moment, Katara wondered what she was talking about. It was only when Zuko finally pulled his hand from hers that she was reminded that they had been clasped together. The older man rolled his eyes and began pushing himself up.

"We were paying our respects to the dead," he told Toph.

She wrinkled her nose. "After what happened? Didn't they try to kill you two?"

"Not all of them wanted to kill us, Toph," Katara said as Zuko offered his hand and helped her to her feet. "In the end, they all just wanted closure and to leave this world."

The earthbender looked skeptical, but shrugged. "I guess," she said. She raised her arms in the air and shouted. "Aang! Aang, bring Appa down! I found them!"

The two older benders tilted their heads back and could make out the large white beast circling above them, through the tops of the trees.

"There isn't enough space! Meet us where we arrived!" Aang shouted before turning Appa's reins to the side.

"You heard the Avatar," Toph said as she began to jog past them. "Let's go! I need to get back to my school!"

"How far is it from here, anyway?" Zuko began to ask as he followed behind her. He made it one step before he felt his hand, still clasping Katara's, held back. He looked over his shoulder and saw the waterbender staring past the old foundation remnants. His eyes narrowed as he followed her gaze. There was nothing but overgrown bush. "Katara," he called, shaking her hand in his. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said softly. He watched her eyes crinkle. "I just see them."

His eyes widened and he released her hand. He moved back to her, stepping in front of her and ready to shield her eyes once more. "Where?" he asked as his lips tightened into a line.

Katara glanced at him and smiled slightly. She raised her arm and placed a hand on his, gently moving him back. "They are not malicious." Her eyes moved back to the vacant plot of land. "But I wonder who they are bowing to. You or me?"

He looked from her to the field and back. His shoulders relaxed. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "To you." She looked confused as she turned to him. "You heard their cries. You saw them and helped get them closure."

"No, Aang did," Katara insisted. "I just happened to be there when he did." She lowered her head and bowed back to the fading spirits before she turned and headed up the path Toph had run.

Zuko followed behind her, reaching the edge of the forest and the awaiting sky bison as Toph shouted for them to hurry up from the saddle.

"Everything okay, Zuko?" Aang asked, smiling from where he sat above Appa's head.

"Looks like it," Zuko replied as he followed Katara up Appa's tail and into the saddle.

Aang looked over his shoulder, making sure they were securely on the sky bison. When he was sure they were seated safely, he grasped the reins. "Appa! Yip, yip!"

They rose into the sky with a jerk and Toph snorted. "I'll never get used to that." Katara chuckled as settled back against the saddle. Beside her, Zuko, yawned and crossed his arms over his chest. His bag rested against him as he leaned back.

"Tired?" the waterbender asked. His eyes were already closed.

"It's been a long last few days," he mumbled. As he drifted off, Katara rummaged through some of her things to find a blanket. Carefully, she placed it over his sleeping figure, though she could've sworn she heard him mumble a thanks.

The man began to breathe evenly and Katara tried to settle into her own nap. She could hear Aang and Toph at the front of the saddle, talking about metal bending techniques. Their voices turned into a calming drone, lulling her to sleep.

She was almost out when a heavy body slid against hers. She opened one eye and found Zuko slumped against her shoulder, still blissfully asleep. She chuckled slightly and leaned back into him.

Despite what he had said, that he was the target, he hadn't run away. He had remained beside her, even offered himself to assailants he couldn't see for her sake. When they fell, he had grabbed her and twisted his body around her. The one who would've slammed into the rocks below and taken the brunt of the damage would've been him.

"Katara, did you send that letter to your family?" she vaguely heard Aang ask.

"Yes," she mumbled as she closed her eyes. She felt a blanket being swept over her. "I hope they get it soon. I have so much to tell them."

* * *

He tossed his heavy, worn bag aside as he let out a heavy, tired breath. The hunt had been exhausting, but worth it. He couldn't wait until the seal jerky was ready.

"I'm back!" the Water Tribe warrior shouted into the large ice, stone, and wooden home lined with furs. "Mom! Dad!?" he called out as he began to tug off his heavy outer coat. He pulled it over his head and looked around the empty main room with the fire pit in the center. "Gran-Gran? Grandfather?"

"Sokka, is that you?" a voice asked from one of the back rooms. He heard shuffling and turned to see his middle-aged mother peeking from one of the furs that hung over the hall. "Welcome home! How as the hunt?"

"Good. Torak is going to bring over some seal jerky when it's ready," he reported. "Where's Dad and them?"

"They're still at that council meeting," Kya replied with an exasperated sigh. "They've been there all day and the food is getting cold."

Her oldest child grinned from ear to ear. "Don't worry, Mom. I'll help you with that," he assured her. Kya snorted and shook her head.

"You'll wait for your father and grandparents to get back first, young man," she scolded him lightly. "Else, there won't be any dinner for anyone in this family."

Sokka's eyes widened. That reminded him. "Speaking family," he said as he knelt down beside his bag and began digging through. "One of the ships from the Earth Kingdom brought us some mail." He lifted up a neatly wrapped packet and Kya stepped out into the main room, curious. "It looks like it's from Katara."

"From the Earth Kingdom?" Kya frowned as she extended her hand to receive the packet. "What she is doing there? I thought she had gone to see the Avatar at one of the temples."

Sokka shrugged as he opened the packet. He found several letters within and weeded through them until he found one addressed to him. He handed the rest to his mother and began to unfold his sister's letter. "Maybe's she's on an adventure," he chuckled. "If I had known she was in the Earth Kingdom, I would've had her send me back some-"

"She's going to the Northern Water Tribe!" the woman gasped as she read her daughter's letter address to her and her husband. "With the Avatar!"

Sokka jerked his head back surprised. "What?"

His mother paid him no mind as she slowly took a seat on one of the cushions surrounding the fire pit. "Oh, no...," she whispered as she lowered the letter in her hand. She lifted her head and looked at her son. "Katara's hasn't heard yet."

Her son frowned. "Heard what?"

Kya's eyes saddened. "About Yue's engagement." Sokka felt his chest tighten at the name. His hand tightened around the letter.

"It's fine, Mom," Sokka said in a low voice. The wound was still fresh. "Katara will understand."

His mother looked at him with a heartbreaking expression. "Sokka..."

"Have some faith in Katara," Sokka smiled weakly. "She is the Southern Water Tribe's Chief's daughter. She'll understand why the princess chose someone else over me."


	5. Chapter Five

"No, Zuko, it has to be thicker," Katara sighed tiredly as she leaned back against the wall of a clothing store. She looked towards the Earth Kingdom tailor with a concerned look. "Sir, are you sure you don't have anything thicker? Pelts or fur lined parkas, perhaps?"

"I'm afraid we don't really sell animal pelt parkas here, Miss," the tailor replied sheepishly. "The best we can do are these layered robes woven from spider cotton."

"I think this has enough layers, Katara," Zuko said from where he stood in front of a mirror, looking at dark aqua colored robes he was trying on. He ran his fingers over the material, satisfied at the weight and texture. "It's also stuffed with a layer of goose-duck down. That'll keep me warm."

Katara wasn't convinced. They were leaving that afternoon, as soon as Aang finished his business at the Northern Air Temple located on the peak above the Earth Kingdom port that served as the last stop before the Northern Water Tribe's main city.

Like most travelers, they needed to prepare for the weather that would come the more north they traveled. Perhaps Zuko's thick, down layered coat might've kept him warm on board a ship, she doubted they'd do their job when they were flying on Appa. The air was colder up there, even without counting the wind chill.

She was prepared with her Southern Water Tribe clothes that had been neatly rolled and tucked away in her bags. Aang was getting his Water Tribe attire from the Air Temple. Zuko, who had been wandering the generally temperate landmass of the Earth Kingdom, was the only one without clothing suitable for an icy tundra.

"Alright," Katara agreed, making a mental note to keep their blankets out for Zuko to huddle in once they were in the air, flying above the arctic waters. "We can purchase that for now, but once we're in the Northern Tribe, we're going to get you some pelts and boots that are water resistant."

Zuko frowned. He had some allowance left, but doubted he could afford to buy both a coat there and then parka and thick boots in the Northern Water Tribe. He mentally began to go through his money pouch.

"Hey, guys!" A little bell dangling from the top of the door frame rang as the door open and a snuggly dressed Avatar happily entered. He beamed as he looked up at the bell, before turning to Zuko. "Great! You found a coat!"

"It will suffice for part of the trip, but it won't due once we reach the arctic waters," Katara pointed out quickly. "He needs pelts, Aang."

Aang wrinkled his nose and let out a low whistle. "We won't be able to get him any until we get to the city, though," he replied. "You know the trade restrictions on furs and hides, Katara. Those suitable for the poles aren't sold in the other nations."

The likelihood of Zuko needing to buy an actual parka grew and his lips turned into a small frown. He could only afford one. If he bought this one, he'd survive the trip up, but would still need to buy thicker, cold-weather wear.

"I can wait until we get to the pole," Zuko said as he began untying the coat. Aang and Katara looked surprised, then disapproving.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Aang began carefully. "It's bearable right now, but the closer we get to the pole, the colder it'll get."

"Come nightfall, we could be facing freezing temperatures while up in the air," Katara added. "Appa will be fine, since he has a thick coat of fur, but your usual clothes won't be enough."

"I'll just huddle in the blankets," Zuko asserted, carefully omitting his lack of funds. Katara didn't seem pleased and Aang stopped Zuko from shrugging off his coat. He carefully pulled the banished prince aside, out of hearing range of Katara.

"If this is about the cost of the winter weather clothes, I can take care of it," Aang told him. Zuko jerked his head back. A frown immediately crossed his lips as he shook his head and pulled his arm out of Aang's grasp.

"It has nothing to with money," he snapped defensively. "I can afford to buy clothes!" His raised voice caught the attention of the waterbender and he threw her an apologetic look before shooting the Avatar an annoyed glare. "Aang, I appreciate the thought, but I don't need you to buy me anything."

The bald monk took a deep breath and exhaled. "Zuko, you're part of a group and we share what we have while we're on this journey," Aang explained. "Just like Katara shares her cured meat with you, let me buy you this coat. You can pay for the pelts and boots yourself later, but for now, we're not going to let you come with us, unprepared to face the arctic cold."

Zuko still remained tight-lipped. "Then, I can wait here for you to return."

Aang let out an exasperated breath. "Is everything alright?" Katara called from the front of the store. Aang opened his mouth to explain the situation, only to have Zuko pull him back once more and reply.

"Everything's fine!" he assured her. "We're just discussing clothes!"

The Avatar narrowed his eyes slightly. As the keeper of balance amongst the four nations, he always felt it necessary to maintain inner peace and keep up his morals as an example to others. Still, he only felt a little guilty when he decided to use Katara to tip the scale in his favor.

"Zuko, if you don't allow me this and decide to stay, I'll tell Katara what your real reason is and I doubt she will be as lenient and respect your stubborness as I would," Aang pointed out sternly.

His statement got the desired effect. Zuko's eyes widened before quickly narrowing. "Since when did the Avatar blackmail people?"

"Avatar Yang Chen used to say that one needed to put aside their own beliefs at times in order to do what is needed for the sake of the greater whole," Aang recited, sounding almost sage-like. Zuko continued to frown, weighing his options.

"Aang, Zuko," Katara called from the front. "Have you two decided on clothes yet? We need to get going if we're going to leave before sunset!" Aang made a face, as if telling Zuko that he didn't have much time left, so he needed to make a decision.

"Fine," the scarred man conceded in a low, displeased voice. "Just the coat."

"Great!" Aang beamed. "Keep in on," he said as he stepped around Zuko and patted his shoulder. "It'll get cold soon." As he headed to the shop owner, Zuko tilted his head back and let out a heavy sigh.

Just this once, he told himself. It was necessary, after all. Regardless, the coat was no small amount and he wasn't completely comfortable with having the Avatar purchase it for him. Aside from charity the Air Nomads gave him at the temples, as he was considered a pilgrim, he tended to work his way through the Earth Kingdom.

His uncle and cousin sent him funds on occasion, but Zuko refused to depend on them. The funds had to be given to him in secret, like dirty money, due to his own father's wishes. Getting the coins was always both relieving and humiliating; a reminder that he wasn't treated like a normal member of the family, but as someone who was to be interacted with in secret. Someone who didn't exist. Even if his uncle and cousin didn't treat him as such, Zuko still couldn't help but feel that way.

As a result, he had taken to working when he could to get by. He'd worked on farms, helped out some stores, learned to fix various things, and served tea. He'd even taken to doing some protection work for caravans in exchange for food and shelter for the duration on the trip. For the last few years, that was how he traveled - dependant on others, yet at the same time, through his own efforts. He learned to be thankful not just of the direct aid he was given by instructors and friends of his uncle, but thankful for the chances people gave a wandering stranger like him.

Being bought something for what he felt was nothing, even by a friend, didn't really sit right. He didn't feel he deserved it. After all, Aang had done much more for them than he had. If anything, Zuko owed Aang something.

Mulling over how he could return the favor, Zuko slowly made his way to the front of the store. "Your wife has wonderful taste, sir," the owner told him as Zuko passed. "I hope you enjoy your coat."

For a moment, Zuko wanted to correct him, but in the end, sighed and just let it go. The owner thanked him for his patronage and Zuko gave him a nod before following Aang out the door, to the street where Katara was waiting.

"At least let me pay you for it," Aang was telling the brown-haired woman who was shaking her head. Katara had her arms crossed, resolutely denying Aang's request.

"It's fine, Aang. I'm happy to do it," she insisted.

"Do what?" Zuko asked curiously as he reached them.

The Avatar gave him an apologetic look. "Katara paid for your coat."

"What-"

"Don't start," Katara cut him off quickly, with a daring look, before Zuko could even finish his sentence. He met her serious look and felt his mouth closing obediently. "I wouldn't have found the nerve to go on this journey without you, so at least accept the coat."

"You've thanked me enough already," Zuko told her. "You don't need to buy me anything. Besides, you always share your food."

"We're in this together; we share everything," Katara reminded him.

"I'll pay you back for the coat," Zuko told her. "If I can find a good deal for...pelts, is it?" Katara nodded. "I'll reimburse you for this one. Maybe I can get a trade."

"A trade...what are you talking about?" Katara looked at him, confused as they continued to head to the Air Temple, where Appa should've been read to go.

"I'll need to buy better cold weather wear when we're at the North Pole, so if I bargain correctly, I can probably get a good exchange for this spider-cotton coat," he explained as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I'll give you what I would've spent on the pelts."

Katara stopped in the middle of the path, causing Zuko to stop a few paces in front of her. Aang, seemingly understanding the situation, continued ahead, knowing they'd follow soon.

" _Buy_  pelts?" Katara looked at him incredulously. "You won't be buying anything," she insisted. "We are going to the Water Tribe! I'm a Southern Tribe member, but Water Tribe, none-the-less. You will be  _my_ guest while we're there, meaning  _I_  will provide for you.  _And_  Aang, if the elders don't get to him first."

In the back of his mind, Zuko could somewhat remember reading about guest relations and customs in the Water Tribe in his international studies when he was younger. There was something about a communal meal, a lodge, staying in people's homes rather that in inns or something.

He shook his head and tried to focus on the situation before him. "Katara, you don't have to do that."

She rolled her eyes and stomped past him. "I don't know why you seem so against this. It's perfectly common where I come from. As a guest of a tribeswoman, you will be staying in the lodging I provide, eating my food, and wearing clothes I supply. You are a  _guest_ , Zuko," she said as she looked over her shoulder. "And a guest is  _family_."

He could feel his face heating up. Ahead of him, Katara continued walking, seemingly satisfied that she had explained herself properly and expecting Zuko to accept her soon-to-be hospitality. She didn't look the least bit embarrassed and Zuko rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Why was he?

It was a different culture, he already knew that. The Water Tribe was famously hospitable to guests, for the most part. Still, he didn't expect Katara to be so adamant on being such. Zuko furrowed his brows. He didn't expect that she could, either, considering that she lived in the South Pole, not the North. Where was she staying? How would she get clothes? She seemed to have it already planned out.

"Good news," Katara said later. They were on Appa and had reached the midway point between the last stop and the Northern Tribe's main city. They had been flying for hours and it was dark, but Appa was well rested an Aang assured them they would reach the city by sunrise. For now, all around them was the icy cold water of the arctic.

Zuko remained seated at the back of the saddle, wrapped in two layers of blankets and within a subconsciously created nest of bags. He had heard Aang and Katara, both clad in enviously thick and warm clothes, chuckling about him earlier, but he didn't care. He was freezing and if his bag-fort and blankets kept him warm, so be it. Besides, Katara was the one who had purposely left the blankets out. He knew that she knew he'd end up that way.

"Does it have something to do with heat?" Zuko asked with a small grumble. Katara snorted and took a seat beside him, on the other side of his miniature bag-fort wall.

"No, we're halfway there. If you get some sleep now, by the time you'll wake up, we'll be landing," she pointed out.

She looked wide awake and happy about it. The second part, he couldn't understand. He was wide awake, but not because he wanted to be. It was just cold. He glared ahead of them. "It's too cold to sleep."

"Even with the blankets?" she frowned. "Do you want another one? Aang said you can have his, too."

Part of him wanted to tell her that he didn't need their pity, mainly because he doubted another blanket would help. Instead, he shook his head.

"I'll be fine," he assured her. "So, another few hours?"

"Yes," Katara said as she began re-arranging the bags around him. "If you can't sleep now, you can sleep when we arrive."

"Where are we staying? Do you have a relative or someone we're staying with?" he asked tiredly.

"No, but Grandpa's house is always ready for guests. He has caretakers and I have a key," Katara told him.

He looked at her, confused. "I thought your family lived in the South."

"They do," Katara said as she moved closer to him. She began moving the bags back around them, now that she was next to him. "But Gran-Gran, my dad's mom, was originally from the Northern Water Tribe. Her second husband is Grandpa. They got married just before I was born, and he's from the Northern Water Tribe, too. He keeps a residence there where we stay when we go up for celebrations and such."

He was suddenly relieved to hear that. "That's nice."

"Yep, and the good news is that Aang will be staying with us, too," Katara said. "There is plenty of room. It's Grandpa's family's old house, but he's the last of his line, so it's a big place. No one lives there..." She trailed off and looked away. Zuko furrowed his brows and slowly frowned.

"Who's alive," he ended. Katara nodded.

"I sort of forgot about that part," she admitted with a wry smile. "The last time I  _saw_ anyone there was before I was sealed. After that, every time we stayed there, I hadn't been able to see anyone."

Zuko looked down. "Do you remember seeing anyone?"

She knit her brows together, trying to remember. "I know I did, but I can't remember who. It was all really hazy, but I don't recall any malicious ones."

That didn't mean that what she would see wouldn't upset her and they both knew it. She pulled her knees up to her chest, her mind lost in thought. She wondered what she'd see now that the seal was broken. She could feel her chest tightening at the thought of what she'd find. Not just in her grandfather's house, but in the city itself. It was old...plenty of things had happened. Her chest rose and fell unevenly and her gloved hands tightened around her legs. She could still vividly remember that drowning teen when she was a child. His cries of help, the splashing of the water as he struggled to stay afloat, as well as the deafening ignorance of the living around him, unable to do anything for someone who had already died.

She shouldn't be afraid, she told herself. This was what she was preparing for. She shouldn't be afraid - no. It was  _alright_ to be afraid, she corrected. She just couldn't hide from it. Hiding from it and running away wouldn't help anyone. Not her. Not the dead. Aang had told her that she didn't have to help everyone - she couldn't; she didn't have enough strength to and such as task was logistically impossible. She had to focus on helping who she could, within her means.

And the Avatar promised he would do what he could help.

She felt a weight around her shoulders and looked up. The two blankets that had been keeping Zuko in a cocoon of warmth had been unraveled to bring her in. He was moving his arms around her, adjusting the blankets to keep them both warm.

"You were shaking," he told her. "Are you cold? Is that better?" Even as he asked that, she had a feeling he knew more than he let on. After all, she was perfectly fine in her Water Tribe clothes. His arm was around her shoulder and he was nice and warm against her. He looked concerned.

Zuko would be there, too.

"Yeah," Katara gave him a smile and took a deep breath to even her breathing. She relaxed against him and rested her head against his shoulder. He felt his head lean over the top of hers. The tension in her chest released. Her warm breaths evened and her trembling subsided.

She had good friends to support her. It wasn't as it was when she was a child. On this visit, Katara wouldn't have to go through it alone. She was not helpness, either.

From atop Appa's head, Aang looked over his shoulder and bit his lips to keep back his amused chuckle. They seemed so awake just moments earlier. He had heard their voices and then suddenly, they went quiet. When he turned to look, he found himself surprised that he  _wasn't_ surprised to find them sleeping in a heap, against each other, surrounded by Zuko's bag-fort.

"Toph was right," Aang told the massive beast. "Those two must be connected by a very strong thread."

* * *

"That one, with the dock in front of it and a water fixture on the roof."

"It doesn't look like there's much space on the street to land," another voice said curiously. "I guess we have no choice." Zuko opened his eyes and squinted in the pre-dawn light. Katara was sitting at the front of the saddle, looming beside the Avatar as she pointed over the edge. Aang leaned forward and scratched the top of Appa's head apologetically. "Looks like it's a water landing, boy."

Appa predictably let out a low moan of disappointment, but dutifully began his descent. Zuko rubbed his eyes and leaned back as the air bison circled above one of the large houses that lined what looked like the main canal of the city. He looked over the edge of the saddle as Appa easily glided over the canal and slowed to a steady landing over the water.

"Good job, Appa," Katara praised as she leaned over the saddle and gave the bison a rub. "Head towards that dock and I'll open the door."

"I'm going to drop you and Zuko off with our stuff," Aang said. "I need to take Appa to the stables."

"Alright," Katara agreed. "Will you be able find your way back?"

"Yep, it shouldn't be a problem. If I do get lost, whose house should I ask for?" he said as they moved through the canal and reached the well kept dock of a large house.

"Master Pakku," Katara said as Appa moved alongside the dock. "If they say that he's not there, tell them Katara, daughter of Hakoda, granddaughter of Pakku is visiting."

"Gotcha."

"Zuko," Katara said as she turned around. "We're here! Get up. We need to bring the bags inside before Aang and Appa go to the stables."

The firebender took a deep breath, shuddering at the chill air that filled his lungs. He pushed himself up and the blankets he had been wrapped in fell around him. Immediately, the cold air seemed to penetrate even his down filled jacket and he wrapped his arms around himself.

"Maybe you should get Zuko a parka first," Aang suggested.

"It's fine," Zuko said as he blew some hot air into his hands. "I'll get used to it." He began to push their bags to the side of the saddle closest to the dock. Katara hopped out and rushed to open one of the doors. As soon as she propped it up with some ice, she rushed back to help Zuko and Aang lift their belongings off the tired bison and on to the dock, before dragging their things inside.

"Zuko, take this key and go up the stairs to the second level. That's the main room. There is a fire place on either side and a fire pit in the center. Get them started so the house will warm up," Katara instructed as she handed a cold metal key to him.

"What about the bags?" Zuko asked.

"There's a waterbending powered lift. I'll pile them in there and then bend it up to the main room," she assured him before ushering him into the house. "Go! It's too cold for you to be out here in just that."

"Alright, alright," he said before grabbing one blanket and his bag and heading towards the stairwell down the hall. Katara lingered by the door, surrounded by numerous bags.

Aang watched as Zuko disappeared up the hall before putting a hand on Katara's shoulder. "Take a deep breath," he instructed, making sure she followed his directions. "Exhale. Repeat." Katara did it a few more times. "Do you want me to stay until you go upstairs with Zuko? Or should we wait and call him down?"

"No," Katara asserted as her hands balled into determined fists at her side. "I can do this. This is my grandfather's home and I've been here over a dozen times." Aang's gray eyes flickered into the house and then back to Katara.

"Don't push yourself," he told her as he released her shoulder. "Call for Zuko if you start to feel overwhelmed."

Katara nodded her head. "I know," she said. "But it'll be fine. I can't always rely on you or Zuko. Besides, they're not malicious. I'll be okay."

Aang stayed a few more moments before resigning himself to her determination and heading back to Appa. She heard the bison snort before the sound of water reached her, signaling that the Avatar and his best animal friend had departed. Katara stood at the threshold of the door and took another deep breath.

This was not like the ruined colony. It was an old house, yes, and Katara was sure it was older than the colony, but it wasn't drenched in tragedy. Instead of dead soldiers and angry spirits clawing for her attention, two pairs of eyes were drawn to her. She wasn't sure if she had seen them before or not, but they seemed to keep their distance.

One was a little girl who was holding a stuffed leopard turtle seal. Another was right beside the girl, holding her hand, and was a older teenaged boy. Siblings, perhaps. Both seemed well dressed and briefly Katara wondered if they were part of the family.

The lingering dead looked at Katara and watched as she entered. She didn't know if she could help them, but if she could, she would need them to be comfortable enough with her to cooperate.

So, the chief's daughter bowed. "I am Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, daughter of Hakoda, granddaughter of Pakku, master of his house," she recited carefully. Her hands clasped each other tightly as she held them in front of her. "I ask for your hospitality to me and my friends while we stay here."

The dead were still a product of how they were raised in their life and Katara found herself only mildly surprised, when the child and teenager bowed back. The child rushed to the side of the spacious room and stood beside an iron lift, as if to show her where it was. Katara smiled back slightly.

She gathered their bags and placed them into the lift. She even made small talk with the little girl about how long it had been since she had last been there. It was a one sided conversation, but talking out loud seemed to calm her nerves. She bended the lift upwards until she heard an audible click, signaling that the lift had reached it's destination. She then proceeded to lock the dock door and head upstairs.

She heard footsteps coming down the stone steps and looked up.

"Katara," Zuko appeared halfway down the stairs, visibly relieved as he saw her. The waterbender stopped on her step. Her gloved hand tightened around the wooden banister, but she forced herself to keep control over her expression.

The young woman seemed no older than she was and was dressed in dark blue pelts with her long dark brown hair elegantly braided and twisted into loops. She was clearly from a wealthy home, though from the fact that even as she stood on the step just above his and Zuko didn't notice her, she was clearly no longer living.

"Yes?" Katara asked as she paused. There was no malicious intent from the dead woman, so Katara assumed her another lingering spirit in the old house. She instead gave Zuko a questioning look. "Don't tell me we're out of blubber to burn."

He shook his head. "No, there's plenty," he answered. Katara nodded and continued climbing the stairs. "You were just taking a while." As she reached him, he allowed her to pass him, pressing back against the stairwell wall, before following. The ghost woman momentarily disappeared. "Is everything alright? Were there...um...others?"

She smiled slightly at his question. "There are three...so far," she answered calmly. "A young woman, a teenage boy, and a little girl." She could almost hear him asking him if they were dangerous. "They don't have negative feelings around them, at least I didn't sense any. The little girl stayed with me until I finished loading everything into the lift."

"Where are they now?" Zuko asked as he subconsciously looked over his shoulder. It was difficult to stop the habit, even as he knew that he wouldn't find anyone there.

Katara walked through the elegant doorway that lead to the main floor of the house. Fires had been lit, but it would take some time to head up the spacious area. She looked around at the familiar setting and noticed Zuko had removed sheets that covered the seat cushions and folded them neatly to the side.

"In the lift," Katara said as she crossed the room to a set of elevated doors. She opened the latch and pulled the door open. Zuko watched as she stepped aside, smiling with amusement. "Did you have fun?" she asked, looking down at the floor in front of her. "Good. I used to do that all the time when I was little. Grandpa got tired of bending the lift up since I kept asking to ride it."

For a moment, Zuko was relieved. It seemed as if his concern was for naught and a small part of him praised her resilience and strength. The events with the colony should've been traumatizing, but Katara pushed forward, refusing to let such an experience taint her own spirit. It was admirable, honorable, and enviable. He caught himself smiling, relaxed and thoughtful, happy that she was happy.

His eyes went wide as the serene look on his lips faded into a tight lipped, shocked look. He  _admired_  her for it and cared for her deeply as a friend. That was all. If he held any deeper feelings, they would certainly not be something like love. At least, not romantic love. Romantic love was...complicated and made people do weird things, if what he'd seen Lu Ten do was anything to go by.

If he did love Katara, it was in a completely platonic way. That was even if he loved her. Which he didn't think was possible, as they'd only known each other for a few weeks.

"Zuko," Katara seemed to call, louder than usual. He snapped out of his thoughts and blinked stupidly. She was frowning from where she hunched over, grabbing a bag from the lift. She looked at him expectantly. "A little help?"

"Sorry," he mumbled. Moved to help her and once they had gotten their things, Katara left him to sort their bags. She went to a large armoire in the hall and opened it, rummaging through several parkas of different sizes until she found one that seemed suitable for Zuko.

"This will have to do temporarily," she said as she pulled out one blob of blue. She shook it out, coughing at the slight dust that covered it. "We'll go to the market later today and get you a better fitting one and some boots before we go to the lodge."

"The lodge?" Zuko asked. He stood in place and held his arms to the side as Katara held the parka against him and nodded, satisfied that it would fit. "That's the main meeting hall for the tribe, right?"

"Right," Katara said before handing him the item. "We have to introduce ourselves and greet the elders and chief of the tribe. I'll send word later that we've arrived and let them know when we'll go."

"Is that really necessary?" the scarred firebender asked hesitantly. He didn't really feel comfortable in such a situation.

"You're with the Avatar and the Southern Chief's daughter," she told him. "Unfortunately, yes. Besides, they'll be a great meal and it's only for one night. It's just a welcome dinner."

He shifted awkwardly as he looked over his borrowed clothing. "Just a welcome dinner? That's it?"

"Yes," Katara assured him as she slung her bag over her shoulder and prepared to head to her room. "Nothing fancy. Now, come on," she said as she waved him over. "I'll show you to your room. You can use my brother's."

Zuko grabbed his bag and followed after her. He headed into a hall on the side and found an elaborate set of stairs curling upwards. He tilted his head, impressed that it went at least three sets up. He looked around as he followed Katara to the second floor, only half-listening to her as she gave him a quick tour.

Ground floor was storage and where the family had once kept their boats and goods. The next floor was the main level, where they had large meals, entertained guests, had the kitchens, and so forth. After that, smaller living quarters, including a small library, her grandfather's study, and the family's intimate dining area. The top floor held sleeping quarters and two baths - one for women and one for men.

She would prepare the baths for him, she said, as they were waterbender powered. He offered to heat them up in return.

"And this is Sokka's room," Katara said as they stopped by one of the doors. She grabbed the handle and opened it before stepping inside and holding the door open. "Don't worry, it's completely clean."

"Thanks," he mumbled as he stepped in and looked around. It was small and cozy, most likely to keep the heat in. A comfortable bed lined with fur was against the corner.

"Okay, if you need me, I'll be next door. Feel free to get some rest. I'll come get you when we go out," Katara instructed. She lingered by the door as Zuko placed his bag on the floor and nodded.

"I may take a nap," he said as he looked at her over his shoulder. "So, just wake me."

Her eyes seemed to be focused past him, but she nodded. "Alright. Sleep well." She paused before turning around and heading to the room next to his.

Her lips straightened into a line as she opened the door to her bedroom and found some of her belongings within. The door closed behind her and Katara tossed her bag by the door. There were no negative feelings coming from the third ghost; the woman about their age. She let out a heavy breath and fell back against her bed.

However, Katara didn't know if she felt comfortable knowing that the ghost woman had followed them up and then stayed in the bedroom with Zuko.

* * *

The first time he and Azula had seen Water Tribe officials who were visiting the Fire Nation, they had thought that their animal skin and fur clothing were archaic. Who would wear such crude material when there were cottons and silks? However, now that Zuko was actually in the very environment that clothing had been developed in, he couldn't imagine wearing anything else.

"Looking good," Aang beamed as he sat across the cushions that surrounded the fire pit. He held a book in his hand and was reading when the firebender arrived from changing in his room. "It looks fit for a prince, if I don't say so myself," he added with a wink.

Zuko rolled his eyes. "I'll give in that it's warm, but they're heavy."

"You'll get used to it," Aang assured him. "Besides, better nice and warm and heavy than cold and frozen and thin, right?"

The firebender let out a snort, but agreed. He walked across the room, to the large windows that faced the canal and moved aside the thick curtains to look outside. The sun was almost completely set and the lanterns were starting to be lit all around them. His eyes drew along the shimmering blue canal and found himself relaxing at the sight. Despite the people going up and down the canal and along side of it, he didn't feel rushed or claustrophobic, or even nervous that they were having dinner with the Northern Water Tribe's chief.

"Is the boat here already?" Katara's voice asked behind him. Zuko automatically looked down at the little dock connected to the house. A boat with a boatman was waiting.

"Yes," Zuko replied as he turned around. "Will this be enough on the water or do I need anything thicker..." His voice trailed off as he narrowed his eyes. "I will, won't I?"

Aang chuckled from his seat and put his book aside. He rose to his feet and and shook his head. "We'll be fine in these, Zuko," he assured him.

The Fire Nation native didn't look convinced. "But Katara's wearing a hood and everything," he argued.

From beneath the white, fur-trimmed hood that framed her face, Katara shot him a glare. She was more warmer than was comfortable beneath the thick overcoat that nearly reached the floor. Beneath the outer pelt cloak generously patterned with moons and waves, she was still wearing her usual parka, tunic, pants, and boots.

"I'm not wearing this because it's cold," she replied, irritated. "My grandfather is a waterbending master of this tribe. He's an elder and I, as his protege and especially as his granddaughter, am expected to have a bit more...decorum."

Aang snickered. "Your face is red and shiny...Katara, if it's too hot to wear, you don't need to wear it."

"Sorry, Aang, but I need this," Katara told him. She ran her hands down the front of her cloak to straighten out any non-existant wrinkles. "It's my armor for the night."

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "Is the definition of armor different here?" he asked as he looked over at Aang.

The trio began heading towards the stairs and Aang shook his head. "It's to assert authority. The Northern Water Tribe, even now, has very few combat trained female waterbenders. Katara is giant, shining reason why any argument that women can't be waterbending warriors is invalid."

"Meaning, a bunch of old guys don't really like me and only put up with me because I'm Master Pakku's granddaughter and Chief Hakoda's daughter," Katara seemed to hiss as they went down the stairs. She let out a heavy breath as they reached the bottom. "It's not like in the Fire Nation, Zuko. There, regardless of if you're a man or woman, you can be a powerful bender or a soldier and be encouraged to do so."

The firebender's lips were in a tight line. "Then they're the ones who are missing out."

"Just ready yourself," Katara told him. "Ever since I was a teenager and beat several of their 'prized' pupils, you can taste the animosity in the air. They'll pretend otherwise, but many of them would rather I not be here, as if my very existence was an affront to them."

Zuko resisted the urge to curl his lip. He understood that feeling himself, far better than he'd wished to. "I know what you mean."

Still, the thought surprised Zuko. In such a communal society, he expected all talents to be nurtured for the better of the group. Katara may have been nurtured, and in a predominantly male field for the betterment of the tribes, but he could still feel the cold atmosphere amongst some of the elders as they were greeted. To her credit, Katara was polite and thanked them for their hospitality.

One of the tribeswomen, a well-dressed middle-aged woman greeted her warmly and led her to their table that framed the rectangular dining area.

"It is good to see you again, Master Katara," the woman bowed her head, just slightly, as Katara bowed back, deeper.

"Formal titles are unnecessary with me. I am only Katara," the blue-eyed waterbender replied. "These are my friends and guests of my household, Avatar Aang."

"Good evening, my lady," Aang greeted. The woman bowed back a bit deeper than the Avatar.

"Thank you for honoring us with your presence, Avatar Aang," the woman replied. She looked over at Zuko and smiled kindly. "Katara, who is this?"

"This is our friend, Zuko from the Fire Nation, Aunt Nunak," Katara continued.

"Welcome to the Northern Water Tribe, Zuko," the woman bowed once more, prompting Zuko to awkwardly follow. "I am Nunak, wife of Chief Arnook."

"Thank you for your hospitality," Zuko said before being ushered to their table. He took a seat on Katara's right while Aang sat on her left. Food was being passed around, though, aware of his dietary restrictions, Aang was given a separate dish. As he began slurping up his meal, Katara gave Zuko a brief intro into each plate that came their way.

"And you'll like this one. It's clams, squid, octopus, and seaweed," Katara insisted as she scooped a ladleful into her bowl.

"I can use something soupy," Zuko said, shivering a little despite his layers. He was passed the container and mimicked Katara's motions. He passed the pot along to the next person at the table before beginning. The hot, thick stew instantly warmed him and Zuko dove into his meal.

"Master Katara, welcome back to the Northern Water Tribe," someone was greeting Katara once more. Zuko glanced up, but continued eating when it became clear that they weren't going to address him. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"

The tone made both him and Aang stop with their spoons halfway to their mouths. Three young men about their age and two older men were standing in front of their table. A quick assessment of their clothes and various accessories and water skins marked them as high level waterbenders from a wealthy background.

That didn't give them any reason to speak to Katara with such distaste. Zuko looked over at Katara and met Aang's eyes, looking back at him. Aang held up his hand subtly to calm him, first waiting for Katara to respond.

The female master bender gave them a small, acknowledging nod of her head. "Good evening to you, too, Master Susuk, Master Hoarak. I am here with my traveling companions. The Avatar was summoned here."

"And you are escorting him?" one of the older men asked. "Traveling with the Avatar is quite impressive,  _Master_  Katara. May we ask what service you provide to him?"

Impressively, Aang held back the disapproving scowl that threatened to break his composure. Zuko's heated hands were melting the solid ice tabletop as he gripped them in anger. What exactly were they implying with Katara? How dare they! He tore his glare from the men, back to Katara.

She remained seated proudly. A hint of a smile tugged at her lips. "I provide the Avatar with support that only a skilled waterbender like myself can," she began coolly. "I was personally asked to join the Avatar on his missions and found it beneficial not only for myself, but for the Tribes, as it is exposing me to many different people and situations, as well as how to handle them. In the future, when I join my tribe's council, what I have learned on my travels with the Avatar will be able to give me better insight into foreign relations. As you know, the Southern Tribe is far more open to trade and has close relations with the other three nations."

Handled expertly, as Zuko expected the daughter of a high ranking official to. He barely tried to hold back the smug smirk. Beneath all the pretty words was a basic answer: The Avatar asked Katara to come with him because she was worthy and would learn much.

Aang nodded in agreement. "The Avatar can only do so much without the help of the people of the four nations. Aside from being a peacekeeper, the Avatar must also guide the people on the path to peace," he replied sagely. "What better way to convey that than by reaching out to those amongst the people willing to learn."

The two older men nodded in agreement. "It is true that those hungry for knowledge will take it, given the opportunity. Take our prized students for instance," one of the men said as he stepped to side the waved one hand to usher one of the students forward. "Hangok has traveled to the Earth Kingdom to learn another style of bending developed in the swamplands," he seemed to brag.

"Bending plants through water," Aang nodded. "I've heard of that, but I've never seen it."

"It is very rare, Avatar Aang," Hangok told him. "It was difficult finding legendary swampbenders to begin with."

"Hangok! Show the Avatar a demonstration of your ability!" his master urged. Even as he said it, he eyed Katara, as if he had won whatever game they were playing.

"Yes, Master Susuk," Hangok said. He turned to the other two students and told them go get the buckets. Zuko leaned over to Katara as the little group prepared.

"Is that even possible?" he asked.

"It's a specialized skill and you have to really understand the concept, as well as have immaculate control to be able to do it. You're not exactly controlling the plant. It's just a vessel. You're controlling the water inside of it," she whispered back. "One mistake and you'll lose control of the vessel and may damage it and those around you."

The scarred man raised a brow. She seemed to know quite about about the 'legendary style'.

"Give him some space!" Master Hoarak called. All eyes were on Hangok as he stood in the center of the dinner courtyard, surrounded by several large jars of water and seaweed. The drummers in the background quieted down to allow the star pupil to shine as the two masters and other students stood beside the Avatar's table.

Aang watched with interest as the waterbender slid into a standard waterbending position and raised his arms. A concentrated look was on his face as the seaweed began to raise from the bowls. Voices were kept low as he pulled the seaweed out and began bending them together in a ball in front of him. Katara narrowed her eyes.

"He's doing it wrong," she whispered under her breath. In the cold air, the thin layer of water around the seaweed began to crystalize. It made it more and more difficult to form the moving seaweed. Hangok was straining to keep control of it - to keep it moving as he wrapped strand after strand.

"That's pretty cool," Aang admitted. The two masters seemed pleased with this.

Then Hangok let out a grunt. His concentration broke and the head sized ball of seaweed flew out of area Hangook was bending it. Everyone gasped and several people were to their feet as the ball flew towards the chief's table, to where his beautiful, white-haired daughter was seated on his left.

Katara was standing in an instant with Aang at her side. He held his arms up quickly, sending a gust of chilling wind across the court to knock the seaweed away from the princess. Katara twisted her body and the seaweed pulled back. She moved her arms, bending the ice to water and slowly unraveling the packed ball until the strands of weeds could be returned to their buckets.

Zuko looked impressed. Someone else was yelling at Hangok.

"Yue," Katara looked across the dining area, concerned. The white-haired woman looked relieved and offered her a small smile as she nodded. Katara closed her eyes and hunched over the table, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. That was close.

"My apologies, Avatar," Hangok said as his head hung low and his master prodded him forward. "I had lost control when the ice made it difficult to bend."

"That is because you do not bend the water that clings outside the plants," Katara hissed, her eyes narrowed. "Water outside the plant is fleeting and you won't be able to continue bending the plant if the water you're bending is gone!"

"Then I suppose you know how to do it correctly, you Southern peasant!" Hangok snapped back angrily as his face reddened. "All you did was unfreeze the water and use it to return the seaweed!"

"She saved my life, Hangok," a displeased voice said behind them. "The life you almost took with your loss of control."

The benders looked over their shoulders and saw the Chief of the Tribe with his daughter. "Master Susuk, Master Hoarak," Chief Arnook began. "Please refrain from practicing this style in a populated area. What happened was reckless and it could have severely injured my daughter."

The five men lowered their heads, mumbling apologies to the chief and, to the visitors' annoyance, only briefly to Yue.

"If you are done with your greetings to the Avatar and our sister tribe's daughter, my father and I would like to greet them," Yue added in a calmer voice.

"We were almost finished, Princess," Master Susuk replied. "We only wanted to greet Master Katara and inform her of the closing of Master Yugoda's school."

Every muscle in her body tensed. "What?" Katara frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You have not heard?" the other master asked, almost mockingly. "After Master Yugoda passed on, the teachers who were using her healing school left. It has become a useless old building-"

"It is of historical significance," Katara frowned. "Yugoda's school was the first in the North to induct males and encourage them to learn the healing arts."

"And now they learn that elsewhere," Master Hoarak assured her. "The building will be reclaimed for renewed development and is set to be demolished."

Satisfied with the horrified look on Katara's face, the other benders bowed and sarcastically wished her a good night before returning to their own seats.

"Forgive the rude greeting, Katara," Arnook told her gently. "They are needlessly competitive, but mean no harm."

Katara nodded aimlessly, though not actually agreeing. She momentarily snapped out of her shock to bow to the chief. "Forgive my rudeness, Uncle. Thank you for your hospitality."

"It is always a pleasure to welcome family from our sister tribe," the older man said. He smiled at her, hoping to ease her worry. "How are your parents and grandparents?"

"They're doing well, thank you for asking. Dad is working closely with the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation and we've secured fishing rights and protected waters to allow for spawning grounds. Mom has recently taken up writing a cookbook with imported ingredients. She's been doing a lot of test cooking, so Sokka's gained some weight ," Katara reported. "And Grandpa and Gran-Gran are the same as ever."

"Ah...I am certainly happy that Master Pakku has found the love if his life in Kanna," Arnook chuckled. "It is good to hear that your family and the tribe is doing well." He stepped back as Katara gave him a nod of her head. "I will leave you to chat. I need to return to my seat."

"Yes, Uncle," Katara nodded. She turned attention to the woman who extended her hands. Katara held hers out and grasped Yue's before they leaned forward, meeting their foreheads together.

"Welcome back, my sister," Yue smiled softly.

"It is good to see you again," Katara said, smiling back. They pulled apart, but were still holding hands earnestly. "I was going to come visit earlier, when I arrived, but...you know, tired. Plus we had to get Zuko something to wear." She motioned to the man next to her and Zuko rose from his seat.

"We haven't met, yet," he said as he bowed. "I am Zuko. I'm traveling with Katara and Aang."

"Welcome Zuko. I am Yue, Chief Arnook's daughter and an old and good friend of Katara's," Yue said as she released Katara's hands and bowed back. She looked up at him curiously. "You look a bit familiar. You wouldn't happen to be related to anyone in the royal family, would you?"

Aang's eyes went wide and Katara let out a little snort. Zuko didn't have a chance to answer. "No, no, he's not a royal," Katara laughed, as if the notion was impossible. "Zuko has been traveling around the Earth Kingdom and we met at the Southern Air Temple."

Yue's eyes seemed to widen. "Oh...," she glanced from the waterbender to the firebender. "How long have you two been...er...together?"

Zuko knew where this was going. He recognized that curious tone. Numerous old women in markets and Toph constantly used it when inquiring about him and the waterbender. Katara, however, did not pick up on it. "We've been traveling for about...a few weeks now and we met a bit before we left...," she trailed off. "Not too long."

"I see," Yue nodded. "Will you be taking him to meet Uncle and the rest of the family in the South?"

"We'll see where this takes us first," Katara said. She shook her head and tried to focus her thoughts. "Aside from that, about what Hoarak and Susuk were saying..."

Yue let out a heavy breath and lowered her eyes. "Terrible news, I am afraid. Despite opposition from various elders, they have successfully been granted ownership of Yugoda's land as of the next full moon."

"But I don't understand," Katara frowned. "Yugoda was a healing master and instructor. Her school was the top in the tribe and there were a half dozen others teaching there."

"They've been absorbed into other schools this the last year, after Yugoda passed on," Yue informed her. "All of them were well trained and at the top of their fields. They were urged to join established centers or sent out with our warriors and hunters."

Katara's eyes crinkled up. "You're telling me that everyone left the school?" Yue nodded.

"The students were taken in by other schools. With no heirs and no use for the teaching hut and Yugoda's home, the elders have decided to release it to the other masters. They say they want to build a better school on top of it as an extension of their current ones," she added. Katara looked distressed and Yue took her hands again. "The teaching hut is still up, Katara. As one of Yugoda's students, you have a right to go and visit it. Yugoda also left many of her things to you."

Katara nodded. "I received that letter upon her passing, but I chose to leave those here so that they could continue to be used in instruction to the students," she said. "Are they still there?"

"Yes. Father had the facilities locked up and you can pick up the keys from him yourself. I can escort you, if you wish," she added.

"Thank you, Yue, but I can-"

"Yue," another voice cut in. Both women looked past Yue's shoulder and saw a black-haired man approaching. A slight frown was across his face has he marched forward. "There you are. I've been looking for you."

The princess's hands fell limply from Katara's. She gave the young man a solemn nod of her head. "Hahn," she greeted. "Welcome back. Was your hunting trip successful?"

"I managed to bag three arctic fox-hares and have presented them to your father," the man said as he stood beside Yue and reached for her hand. Katara narrowed her eyes slightly as the other woman quietly allowed him to do so. "You must be Master Katara, daughter of Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe, granddaughter of Master Pakku."

"Yes," Katara gave him a small bow of greeting. "I do not believe we've met."

"Hahn of the northernmost village, son of Nauja and Anaki, regional head," he answered, giving Katara a mirroring bow. "I'm Yue's fiance."

She could've sworn that the world momentarily stopped. Katara couldn't help but immediately turn her attention to the white-haired princess. Yue's eyes were diverted, unwilling to meet Katara's as the waterbender silently asked a thousand questions. When did this happen? Was it by choice? Why didn't she tell her? Most importantly of all - what about Sokka?

"Oh," was her only response. She seemed a bit speechless. Aang looked a bit confused at the silence and jumped in.

"Well, congratulations!" the Avatar beamed. "When the wedding comes round, let me know!"

"Thank you, Avatar," Hahn said before giving him a respectful bow. He stepped back and tugged on Yue's arm. "Come, Yue. My parents are here."

"Let me just have a moment with Katara to finish-"

"Yue!" a female voice called. Her mother was waving at her from where she and the chief stood with two other adults. "Your in-laws are here!"

Yue gave Katara and apologetic look before bowing her head deeply. "I am sorry, Katara, I must go. Hahn's parents have arrived and I must greet them. I will come speak to you as soon as I can."

The waterbender was unable to even nod. She stood in place, watching Yue walk solemnly behind Hahn. This was not how she'd imaging returning to the Northern Water Tribe. When she had last left, Yugoda was still alive. Yue was not yet in her 20's and most certainly was not engaged.

Despite her age and the traditions of the tribe, where engagement was often approved by families and then revealed formally by the future bride's fifteenth birthday, when Yue had turned that age, there was no sign of an engagement in the future. In fact, it had been that way up until Katara had last visited.

Sokka and Yue had been nearly inseparable while they were visiting and, while she knew they were somewhat bound to their respective tribe, it still shocked Katara that Yue was now engaged to another man.

"Katara," she heard someone calling her. "Katara, are you listening?"

"Huh?" The brown-haired young woman turned around and looked down at the bald Avatar beside her, looking up in question. "What is it?"

"Aren't you going to to sit down?" he asked. Katara looked around her. She was the only person left standing at their table.

Quietly, she returned to her seat. Aang tried to engaged her in conversation, as if knowing she needed to get her mind off of the two latest shocks. As the night went on, her replies were becoming more normal, though still shorter and less in depth. Zuko silently ate beside her, unsure what exactly was going on, but knowing it wasn't the right time or place to ask her.

It was only when they finally left the lodge that he spoke up. "I have a question."

"I was wondering when you'd ask," Aang chuckled to himself. Zuko rolled his eyes.

"About what?" Katara asked. "The failed plant-bending, the fact that one of my mentor's old school and home are going to be torn down, or that the woman my brother loved since we were teens is now getting married to another man?" she asked. Her voice seemed to grow more bitter as she spoke.

Both men on either side of her cringed as she stormed forward. "If you don't want to answer, that's okay," Aang pointed out. "But if there is anything we can do, let us know."

The waterbender felt a bit guilty. She was upset, but she shouldn't take it out on the two people who had given her so much support, and were still willing to. They didn't even know what exactly was happening, but they were stilled concerned. She took a deep breath and turned around to face them.

"This isn't what I thought I'd return to," Katara admitted as she stopped in front of one of the many fountains that littered the city. She vaguely motioned her arms back up the path, to the lodge. "I mean, I expected the usual hostility from the more traditional masters and their students trying to prove they're better than me, but not about Yugoda's school closing or Yue being engaged."

"I can understand the school closing," Zuko pointed out. "But to my knowledge, marriages are typically a happy event, aren't they?" He furrowed his brows. "Or was the princess's engagement arranged and against her will?"

"I don't know," Katara replied bluntly. "And I won't know until Yue has a chance to talk to me. She didn't seem like a gushing bride, but she didn't offer much resistance either."

"Maybe they're still getting to know each other and she's transitioning," Aang offered. "I'm sure if they give each other a chance, they'll get to know each other better and-"

"No, Aang...I mean...yes, there is that chance," Katara corrected herself as she lifted one gloved hand and rubbed her forehead. "But that's not the problem."

Aang looked confused and glanced at Zuko. "Um..." He looked back at Katara. "Did you lose a bet to her maybe? Like whoever got married first-"

"No," Katara signed. "It's just that...I guess, I always thought that my brother, Sokka, and Yue would...you know...," she trailed off hopefully. "They were always so close and I know they care deeply for each other."

"Then why didn't your brother ask her to marry him," Zuko asked, as if it were obviously. "Fifteen is the marriageable age here, isn't it?" Katara nodded.

"My brother has his sights set on being the next chief of the Southern Water Tribe. He's been working towards that goal since he was a child. He wants to take our father's place there one day. Yue is an only child and unlike in our tribe, the chiefdom is hereditary. As Yue is a woman, she cannot inherit the seat, but her husband will."

"Why can't your brother move here, marry the princess, and become the chief?" Zuko snorted. It seemed a clear cut issue.

"Northern Water Tribe chiefs must be from the Northern Water Tribe. They won't accept anyone from the south governing them," Aang informed him. "That means that even if Katara's brother did move here, he couldn't be chief and Yue's dedication to her tribe is stronger than her own needs."

"I knew that if it came to it, Yue would give up on my brother and marry someone else," Katara admitted. "But I always hoped something would change and I never thought I'd actually see her with another man. I don't even know if Sokka knows."

Aang gently patted Katara's shoulder. "Princess Yue said she'd come talk to you as soon as she could. Have faith in her and listen when she comes," he urged. "She has done what she thought is necessary for the tribe and I know that you, the daughter of chief yourself, understands that."

Katara nodded. "I know," she said. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.

"Good," Aang said as he lifted his hand from her shoulder. "Come on, guys. It's getting way too cold, even with these furs on. And I think our boat driver is waiting."

"You two go ahead," Katara said as they passed her. "I think I'll head up to the Oasis first. I've been here a day and I still haven't paid my respects."

Aang nodded understandably. "Don't stay out too long."

Zuko stopped a few steps away. "I can come with you."

"No," Katara shook her head and she gave him a small smile. "Thanks, but you're still not used to the cold. Go back to the house and get some rest, Zuko. I'll be okay." She turned around and headed down a different street. Zuko hesitated leaving and would've remained standing there had Aang not dragged him back to the ship.

"Do you think she'll be alright by herself?" Zuko asked as the boat took them down the canal, to Katara's grandfather's house.

"She knows where she's going and is a master waterbender," Aang beamed. "Her element is all around her." He looked beside and saw Zuko looking out pensively over the water. The prince's brows were furrowed and his lips were tugged into a slight frown. "Zuko," Aang smiled. "Don't worry so much. Katara needs to get out by herself every now and again. We can't hold her hand every time she wants to take a walk."

"I know that," Zuko frowned. "But she's upset and this is an old city. What if bad spirits are drawn to her?"

"She'll be safe at the Oasis," Aang assured him. "And if she doesn't return by morning, we'll go there to find her."

* * *

She stepped into the cavern with it's clear pool and fish, relishing the warm against her chilled face as she released a heavy breath. There was always something calming about being in the Oasis. She had felt it the very first time she had been brought there with her grandparents.

For a place called the Spirit Oasis, it certainly lacked those who had died and continued to cling to the mortal world. Yugoda had told her it was because while the Oasis was a gateway of sorts to the Spirit World, it was a place of peace, so those whose hearts were unsettled did not linger. It was rare that they did, even if the energy in the Spirit Oasis was strong.

The name itself came not from the dead, but from the two fish that circled the pool. Katara shrugged off her thick outer robe and slung it over her arms as she crossed a small bridge and approached the pool. She could see the black and white koi swimming about and smiled slightly. They had mesmerized her as a child.

Quietly, she laid out her over robe on the grassy ground beside the pond and knelt down on top of it. Her body bent over her bent knees as she kowtowed to the fish. Katara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was the moon and sea spirit who circled one another that had saved her as a child. They heard Yugoda's pleas - her own pleas - and sealed her vision.

It wasn't permanent and now, she was actually thankful that it wasn't.

"I can see again," Katara told them quietly. "Thank you, spirits, for helping me as a child and for not making the seal over my vision permanent. If the gods have willed that I see the souls still tied to this world for a reason, than I hope that I am fulfilling it."

"I always knew you would," a kind, scratchy voice replied softly.

The waterbender's head snapped up. Her eyes widened as she saw an elderly woman in blue clothes standing on the other side of the pool. Katara's breath caught in her throat and her eyes began to mist. The old woman looked the same as she did when Katara last saw her alive.

"Yugoda." Katara felt her hands trembling as she slowly rose to her feet. For a moment, she was elated. The old woman who had helped her as a child to block out the madness inducing vision and then again, mentored her to become the best healer in the Southern Tribe, was right before her. She was like a second grandmother to Katara and to see her made all of the waterbender's stress melt away for the briefest of time. "Yugoda!"

In the back of her mind, she knew that the Yugoda before her was no longer the flesh and blood waterbending healer she had last embraced, but it didn't stop the former pupil from circling quickly around the pool and rushing to embrace her.

Yugoda held her arms out, smiling welcomingly. The fact that she was no longer physically there seemed to have slipped her mind, as well. When Katara rushed through rather than collided against her in that loving embrace they both expected, the harsh reality was reminded.

The old woman's spirit lost her smile as her arms slowly lowered. She turned around, towards where Katara had stumbled to a stop. The living bender stood in place with her arms still extended. Blue eyes looked down at them, as if wondering why they didn't embrace Yugoda as they were supposed to.

"It seems we've missed each other more than we thought," Yugoda smiled sadly. Katara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Yugoda had been dead for almost a year now. News had reached her tribe late and Katara had been unable to attend the last ceremony. Her arms fell at her sides and she clenched her jaw. "I know what you're thinking," the old woman's spirit told her gently. "And you know that it does not upset me that you were unable to come. The distance between our tribes is great, Katara. I did not expect you to be able to make it. What matters is that what I had taught you remains with you."

"I still should've been there to honor you," Katara said in a low voice as she slowly turned around. Her eyes were wet with tears as she met the worn ones of the dead. "You revolutionized the way this tribe thinks of its women benders. You made them see what we were capable of. Even more, you were the one who encouraged Grandpa to go South. Without that urging, he would not have become my grandfather and I would not be the bender I am now."

Yugoda's lips turned into a knowing smile. "Katara, you came to us with your own potential. Those in your life merely guided you and it is us who should be thankful. When young girls saw you bend, they realized that they were not weaker than boys. They were just as capable, if given the chance. When Pakku saw you bend, the most stubborn of male waterbenders realized that, as well. You are equally responsible for the steps forward our people are taking."

Katara shook her head. "I only flourished because I was loved."

"And so was I," Yugoda agreed. "Being trusted by my students made me want to become the best healer and instructor I could be. I was pleased with what I was able to do in my short time on this earth. I believe that I helped make it better, so do not be upset that you were unable to come to my last ceremony. That is not what matters. I passed on peacefully, Katara. Peaceful and happy."

The waterbender took a step forward and looked at her beseechingly. "Then, why are you here?" she choked out. She held her arms out at her sides and shook her head. "The dead only remain when they are still tied to this world - when there are regrets. If you are at peace, why do you linger?"

Yugoda smiled once more. "Because, my dear, I was waiting for you."

Katara furrowed her brows. She pulled her lips into a frown and nodded. Once more, she felt a responsibility she was proud to hold. "How can I help you, Yugoda?"

Relief seemed to fill the old woman's face. "I see now, clearly, why the gods and spirits blessed you with your gift. Few have the strength to handle such vision and fewer still have the strength to use it for good."

"I only do what I can."

"And that is more than most people do in their entire lives," Yugoda assured her. "I have one regret that ties me to this world, Katara. It is a secret I have taken to my grave."

Katara could feel the weight of her words sink in. She was almost afraid to ask. "What secret?"

"There is a form of waterbending that should never be used," Yugoda told her in a low voice. "It is far too difficult for most benders to even use and far too dangerous for even the most talented to control." Katara cocked her head to the side, confused. "Every now and then, a gifted waterbender will discover this ability, but until recently, they have been very rare and instruction has never been transcribed or taught. Either it was too difficult to or there were no other benders able to replicate the form."

"Is it a style I've heard of?" Katara asked, trying to go through all the basic and rare waterbending forms she had learned over the years.

Yugoda shook her head. "No, Katara. It was never taught to you and I had hoped I would never have to burden you with it."

Katara narrowed her eyes. "What is it?"

"Do you remember what you told me when you were explaining the bending in the swamplands? How water within the tiny, narrow veins of a plant were what was controlled in order to move it?" Yugoda asked. Katara nodded. Once she had figured it out, it was easier to visualize, then practice and refine. "This is a similar method, only what you are controlling isn't the water in plants, but the blood in the living."

A chill ran through Katara, as if her own blood was reacting negatively to the mere mention of the idea. "Control  _people_?" Katara choked out. "Through...through bending their blood?"

"It is bloodbending, yes," the spirit told her sadly. "And within the numerous documents I bequeathed to you upon my death are the letters from Hama of the Southern Water Tribe - the last great female waterbending master of the south. It was a form she nearly perfected with an unyielding obsession. Her letters describe the form and practice in detail."

Katara found herself nodded. "I see," she asserted. "Then, you want me to find those letters and destroy them."

"Yes," Yugoda nodded. "It is too dangerous to be taught. The power it gives is...frightening. No human should be able to control another in such a terrifying way, Katara. We are not toys or puppets meant to be used on a whim of another. It is not what bending was made for."

"I understand," Katara asserted. "I will find them and destroy them-"

"Katara," she was cut off quickly. Yugoda lifted a hand to silence her as she took a step forward. "There is one more thing."

"Anything, Yugoda."

"I want you to learn to bloodbend."

Katara's eyes widened. "But you just said-"

"And it is unfortunate," Yugoda pleaded. "But Katara, I beg you to carry this burden. I know how you have so many others on your young shoulders, but I ask you to learn not because I want to add to your struggles, but because I trust your heart to remain strong and pure enough to withstand the temptations bloodbending will bring." She hesitated and crinkled her eyes. "There are others who seek Hama's letters, Katara. They know of the form, but lack the discipline for it. I fear that should you come up against a bloodbender, you will be unable to defend yourself and as such, that is why I ask for you to learn."

Katara's chest rose and fell with heavy breathing. "I...I can't," she refused as she took a step back and shook her head. "It's too dangerous, Yugoda. I don't have the strength to. What if I abuse it? What if I hurt someone? I can't do that to another person!"

"Katara," Yugoda told her carefully. "Knowledge is simply knowledge. It is how you use it that defines the character of your person." She clasped her hands together in front of her and lowered her head in a bow. "Katara, my pupil, your pitiful master humbly begs you - please accept this burden."

* * *

By the time she dragged her heavy, sore body into her grandfather's house, the sun had already peeked over the glaciers and morning was making itself known. Silently, Katara cursed the light that reminded her of how she had spent her last few hours. Her head hurt, her muscles ached, and her mind and heart were heavy.

It seemed that even the two ghosts on the ground floor of the house knew and followed her up the stairs with concerned expressions.

She opened the door to the main floor and easily made out the two figures slumped against each other on the cushions, surrounding the dying fire pit. Aang and Zuko looked to have stayed up the night before waiting for her to return and when she didn't, they fell asleep. She smiled sadly, feeling both happy and guilty that they did so.

She raised a brow as she noticed the same ghost woman who had followed Zuko into his room the day before, stand over the sleeping firebender, seemingly stroking the top of his head. The ghost didn't seem to hold any malice, but she did look a bit more content looming over Zuko than Katara felt comfortable with. She made a mental note to tell Zuko about it, in case he felt anything, after she took a good, long nap.

Quietly, she approached them to lift their blankets up higher. She had reached the fire pit just as Aang's eyes flew open. He gasped and sat up straight, prompting Zuko to nearly fall over and startle awake.

"Katara! You're back!" the Avatar gushed, sounding relieved. "We were waiting all night for you!"

"Sorry," Katara smiled sadly. "I spent a lot more time at the Oasis than I thought."

Zuko yawned and rubbed the back of his head as he gave her a somewhat irritated look. "What took you so long? Do you know how worried we were?" he chided. Katara resisted the urge to chuckle.

"I've just had a long night," Katara said. "Do you guys want breakfast? I can make it before I go to sleep-"

"No way," Aang said as pushed his blankets to the side. "You look exhausted. Are you okay?"

She almost wanted to laugh. Okay? She had spent the night being lectured on bloodbending and trying to come to terms with what her late master pleaded of her. More than her own aching muscles, which she had awkwardly tried to bloodbend with little to no results, the moral dilemma of the form weighed her down.

"I'm fine," she assured them as she reached the closet in the hall and began to tug off her large, heavy overcoat.

Zuko frowned. He could recognize fatigue and the movements of a body in pain anywhere. "Katara, as a healer, are you able to heal yourself?"

"Of course," Katara said as she closed the doors to the closet.

"Aang, can you get some water and bring it to Katara's room?" Zuko asked as he rose from the cushions and walked towards the waterbender. "Come on, Katara, your body needs to rest. Your limping slightly and your movements are slower and limited."

"What? No, I'm not-"

"Come to think about it, she does look strained," Aang added as he rubbed his chin. He stood up and reached for his coat, which was hanging over some of the other cushions. "Alright, I"ll meet you guys in her room."

Katara's eyes widened. "What? I'm fine! You two don't need to get me water! I can get my own water!"

"You don't need to carry a bowl upstairs when you're exhausted," Zuko told her as he ushered her to the stairs. "I don't know what you did last night, but you certainly didn't sleep."

Katara sighed. She didn't feel like arguing or telling him what had happened. "All I need is a nap and I'll be fine."

"Some water to facilitate healing won't kill you," he assured her as they were halfway up the stairs. Katara winced as she forced herself up and willed herself not to look back and show her strained expression to the firebender. "If you can't make up the stairs, I can help."

"I can make it up the stairs," she grumbled. "I'm not a child."

"No, but you're my friend and you're struggling," he replied. They reached the floor with the bedrooms and he dutifully escorted Katara to her room. He hesitated entering and lingered at the doorway.

"Zuko," Katara said as she took a seat on the edge of her bed. She winced slightly and began to kick off her boots. "You haven't been experiencing anything...off since you got here, have you?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Like...any sort of pressure around you?" Katara tried to explain as she looked away. "Someone watching you or...um...touching?"

He raised one brow and looked at her, half confused and half concerned. "What do you mean  _touching_?"

She took that as a 'no'. "Nevermind," she said as she raised her arms. "It's just me."

"Did you see someone?" Zuko asked, automatically looking over his shoulder. Katara internally grimaced. He didn't know, but he had looked directly at the ghost who had followed them upstairs and continued to dutifully stand beside him.

"One of the ghosts just seems curious," Katara told him. "Maybe it's her first time seeing someone from the Fire Nation." Although, from the dead woman's expression, it seemed more than curiosity. Even the day before, she had been following Zuko around, although remained the house when they left. Perhaps she was tied to it.

Zuko frowned. "Is she here now?"

"She's not malicious," Katara answered instead. "She's not going to hurt you, Zuko."

"It's not me I'm worried about ghosts affecting," he told her flatly as he met her eyes. The two lapsed into silence.

They barely heard the light footsteps coming from the stairs. "Make way!" Aang called as he walked through the threshold, holding a ceramic bowl of water. "It's pretty cold. You may want to ask Zuko to warm it up a bit," he said as he placed it on a wooden table beside Katara's bed.

The waterbender nodded and waved for Zuko to come in. The firebender stepped into the room and carefully made his way to the table. He grasped the sides of the bowl and heated his hands.

"Give it a moment," he told them. "I don't want to make it too hot."

"I'll leave you guys to take care of this," Aang said. "I need to drop by the stables to check on Appa. On my way back, I'll pick up something for us to eat, okay? Some hot soup sound good?"

"I want mine with shellfish," Katara told him as he headed to the door. Aang nodded and glanced at Zuko, who was still concentrating on heating up the bowl.

"Tofu and spicy, if you can find it," Zuko added.

"Shellfish, tofu and spicy, got it!" Aang recited. "I'll see you both later! Katara, get some rest!"

He bounced down the hall and Katara released a heavy breath. She looked back at Zuko and lifted a hand to place a finger into the water. It was still cool, but warming up.

"Thanks, Zuko."

He nodded his head and kept his eyes on the bowl. "We were going to come look for you if you didn't return by morning."

She chuckled slightly. "Sorry about that. I was at the Spirit Oasis and...and I got see my old healing mentor," Katara said softly. She lowered her eyes and smiled sadly. "It was odd. She looked exactly as I remembered her, but when I tried to hug her...I walked straight through her."

The firebender glanced up. "Is she still...here?"

"She just wanted to see me and waited at the Oasis," Katara told him with an encouraging smile. "She knew I'd go there and wanted to tell me some things before she passed on completely."

"What did she say?"

Her smile left her face. Katara turned her head away. Yugoda said everything she knew about bloodbending. About its power, its dangers, its temptations, and how those who used it could be corrupted. If it could've died with Yugoda, she would have allowed it to, but she suspected that others had heard of it and were seeking out ways to tap the potential. Yugoda owned a prominent library on waterbending, most of which had been given to Katara.

If there was any information on bloodbending, it would've been in Yugoda's home and it was up to the southern waterbender to keep that knowledge out of questionable hands.

When she didn't answer, Zuko frowned. He removed his hands from the bowl, satisfied that it was now warm, and released a heavy breath. "It's been a long night," he said as he hesitantly took a step forward. "Why don't you get some rest, like Aang said."

Katara nodded numbly.

He looked at her suspiciously as he knelt down in front of her, trying to meet her eyes. "Katara-"

"Sorry," she apologized again as she looked up and shook her head. "I just zoned out for a moment. I must be more tired than I thought." She offered him a smile, but he didn't seem to buy her excuse.

"Alright," he relented. She'd have to tell them on her own time. He grasped her hands in his, frowning as he noticed how cold they were. "You've been outside too long...," he muttered before cupping her hands in his and bringing them to his mouth. He took a deep breath and blew hot air over them. "It's like your fingers are going to fall off. Where are your gloves?"

"Gloves?" She had removed them when she was at the Oasis. Katara frowned as she felt the heat of his breath slowly warming her hands. She had forgotten to put them back on in her tired state and hadn't even noticed how cold they'd become.

Zuko shook his head as he pulled it back. A stern look graced his face. "Get some sleep," he all but ordered. "I'll be on the roof, bending, if you need me, okay?"

She felt him give her hands a final squeeze. "Okay," she assured him. Katara gave him another smile, in an effort to ease his concerned expression. "Don't melt anything up there, firebender," she warned lightly as he drew his hands back and headed to the door.

"And have the a master waterbender after me if I do?" he snorted. "I don't think so." He paused by the door and looked back into the room. "But if you want to spar with me later..."

"Is that a good idea?" Katara raised a brow. She didn't know how he'd fare in the ice and snow, but she knew she had an advantage. "You're surrounded by my element, you know."

Zuko looked unfazed. "On the desert, I learned that there is water to be found, even in the most dry of climates," he told her. "Water is always with me. I'm not afraid of it." He gave her a small nod and closed the door behind him.

Katara closed her eyes and leaned forward, covering her face with her hands. "You would be if you knew what I can do with it."


	6. Chapter Six

Years earlier, he had been on a caravan across the Earth Kingdom's great desert. While near scorching in the midday, once the sun set, the temperatures plummeted. When it was time to wash off the day's worth of sand and dust, all there was had been cold water and no time to heat it. He could still remember the way steam lifted from his hot skin and into the air upon contact with the cold water. It had been a shocking, though somewhat exhilarating, experience. He counted himself lucky that when he bathed here, the water could be warmed and he could take his time and soak in it.

Zuko looked forward to his bath as sweat trickled down the sides of his face and dripped from his chin. His warm-ups had turned into practice, which somehow turned into a fast pace release of frustration. He had abandoned the thick coat he had arrived in and the sleeveless tunic he wore beneath it was marred with sweat.

He hadn't melted the ice fountain that decorated the rooftop sanctuary of Katara's grandfather's house, although, the thin sheet of ice and snow that had covered the roof had been reduced to puddles. He silently hoped it wouldn't leak.

The firebender returned to a resting position and released a heavy breath. It felt good to bend. His body seemed less tense, he felt more relaxed, and the urge to punch those ignorant, arrogant men who had disrespected his friend lessened, albeit just slightly.

He lifted his hand and wiped the remaining sweat off his forehead. That would do for now. He turned around to reach for his discarded coat, when he caught the several blue blurs standing on the roof of the building across from theirs. Several young women seemed to have been congregated and were staring at him with wide, appreciative eyes.

Zuko slowed his movements, as if he had been caught, and lifted his coat off the floor, bringing it to his chest in a subtle move to put as many things between his sweaty body and their curious eyes.

"Zuko!" a voice shouted from the street below. The firebender momentarily forgot about his audience as he craned his neck over the side of the building. Aang was making his way to the door that exited into the street, at the base of the house. He beamed and waved his free hand as the other held a woven basket that steam coming from it. Zuko's stomach rumbled just a bit and he found himself hoping that was breakfast. "I figured that was you firebending up there! I could see your flames all the way across town!"

Zuko snorted. Who else could it have been? To his knowledge, not many Fire Nation citizens, let alone benders, came that far forth. If they wanted something from the tribes, the Southern Tribe was closer.

"Do you need help?" Zuko asked.

"Nah, I got it!" Aang assured him. "But hurry up and get washed up for breakfast! I got this great deal on some hot and sour seafood soup! Can you see if Katara wants to join us?"

"Sure," Zuko nodded. He put his coat under one arm and headed for the door that lead to the stairwell, easily ignoring the giggling girls he left behind. He reached Katara's room and knocked on the wooden door. First quietly, as if to give warning, and then a firmer, louder knock. "Katara?" he asked, politely. "Aang's back with some food. Want breakfast?"

"Yeah," a voice said behind the door. Zuko waited for her to continue, but no words followed. Instead, the door opened, and a troussel haired woman in a blue, indoor robe greeted him. She looked as if she had been woken up and he gave her a small, apologetic bow.

"Sorry."

"No, no," Katara assured him. "I'm hungry. I can sleep more after I eat," she yawned, in an effort to stay awake.

Zuko's eyes ran down her body, searching for any sign of pain. "Still hurt?"

"I eased my sore muscles," she assured him. She gave him a quizzical look. "Don't tell me you were outside in just that," she frowned, eyeing his thin, sleeveless tunic and the discarded coat in his arms. He was still a bit sweaty and figured he had been bending, but the air outside was still more than just chill.

"The workout warmed me up," he told her. "I was roasting in the coat. Besides, its difficult to firebend in bulky clothes."

Katara huffed. "I suppose. Are you heading downstairs?"

"I want to clean up first," Zuko said as he headed to the bathroom. "Get all the sweat off."

Katara nodded and followed behind him. "I'll bend the water in for you."

"Thanks," he said. They reached the men's bathroom at the other end of the hall. It was more communal than Zuko would've liked - with a wide, low to the ground sunken tub for soaking. Wooden benches were against one side, to be used as seats when someone was rising themselves off.

Katara left her slippers outside the bathroom door and padded barefoot into the men's bathroom. She raised her arms to bend water from the insulated metal fixtures that lined the tub. Zuko stopped outside, tugging off his heavy boots before following.

"Want to rinse off?" Katara asked, her back to him.

"If possible," Zuko answered as he faced another wall, keeping his back to her while untying his belt and shrugging off his tunic. He heard some of the buckets beside the bench fill with water. "I can heat them up," he told her.

"Okay," Katara said as she slowed the bending and stopped once the tub was nearly full. She turned around and extended her hand. "Clothes."

"The coat is still clean," Zuko replied as he piled the furs in her arms. "This...," he winced as he laid his tunic across the top. It was damp with sweat. "Should be washed, though."

"Ew," Katara made a small face and Zuko rolled his eyes.

"Just go outside. I'll leave the rest by the door," he told her. He looked around. "And where's my towel?"

"I'll bring you another one," Katara sighed as she stepped outside. She stopped and looked over her shoulder. A frown went across her lips. "You, too," she said, almost demanding. Zuko gave her an odd look.

"What?"

"No," Katara waved her hand to dismiss him. She pointed to a space by the wall. "Excuse me, but I think he'd like his privacy."

Zuko felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand and, subconsciously, he moved towards the waterbender. "Katara...who are you pointing at?"

"A peeping tom," she continued to frown and put one hand on her waist, not removing her eyes from the spot by the wall. The woman didn't make any move to leave. "She's not moving."

He wasn't sure how to feel. Ghosts, he could understand. When Katara interacted with them in his presence, it wasn't exactly terrifying. From hearing her describe them most of the time, they simply existed and were going about their own business. It was rare, like those restless spirits in the colony, that they tried to harm or even affect a human. There was nothing really scary about that. However, when a ghost wanted to watch him bathe, it became, for lack of a better word, creepy.

"Is that the ghost who has been watching me?" he asked carefully. He wasn't sure if he wanted to it to be confirmed or not.

"Yes," Katara said. "Like I said before, she's not malicious. I don't believe she means any harm, but I don't think you want her watching you take a bath."

"I don't," Zuko frowned, shivering slightly. Whether it was from the cold air reaching him or the notion that he was being peeped on by lingering dead, he wasn't sure. "Can't you ask her to leave?"

"I did," Katara told him. "She won't."

Zuko looked at her, concerned. "There must be something you can do."

She met his eyes. "You know I can't force the dead to do something they don't want to."

"Can't you put her soul at rest then?"

"How? We don't even know what is keeping her tied to the mortal world!" she replied, her voice raising.

"Then ask her!" he exclaimed.

"Zuko, you know it's not that simple."

"Katara, you can't expect me take a bath when there is a ghost watching me," Zuko told her in a low voice. Despite his seriousness, Katara bit her lips to keep from laughing at the flushed, embarrassed expression on his face. If she hadn't told know, he wouldn't have cared. How influential was a bit of knowledge was in changing a person.

"Are you scared or shy?" she couldn't help but ask. He gave her a scowl and Katara barely held back her muffled snort. "Zuko, it's not like she's going to share what sees with all her ghost friends."

"Are you actually insinuating that I get naked and parade around in front her?" Zuko's reddened look reached his ears. "It's improper!"

"Embarrassed?" Katara smirked.

He narrowed his eyes. "I have nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Oh...then that means you're scared of being alone with the harmless spirit?" Katara cooed. She grasped his hand with her free one and brought it close to her as she smirked. "What? Do you want me to stay with you and hold your hand while you bathe?"

"Whoa," another voice piped from the doorway. The duo turned around and saw Aang standing there, wide-eyed and slowly backing away from the threshold. "Um...breakfast is set...whenever you two are...uh...ready."

Zuko snatched his hand away from Katara and gave her a slight glare. "Aang, tell Katara to try to help the spirit so she can be put to rest and won't watch me take a bath," he demanded. Katara rolled her eyes.

Aang scratched the back of his head, somewhat confused. "Okay..um," the Avatar said as he diverted his eyes. "Katara, can you help the spirit?"

"Not yet," the waterbender said as she stepped around Zuko and headed to the door. "I don't know anything about her and she's not answering me at all."

"She's not going to hurt him, though, right?" Aang asked, his brows furrowed. Katara shook her head.

"It doesn't seem like it. She's just been following him around."

"I didn't know ghosts could get crushes," Aang piped, surprised.

Zuko scowled. "Don't call it that. It's not a 'crush'; we're adults, we shouldn't even be using that word."

"Then what should we use?" Aang asked as he looked from Zuko, who was still standing in the bathroom barefooted, shirtless, and in a pair of pants, to Katara, who was out in the hall, dumping his clothes into a laundry chute. "An infatuation? Oh! Do you think the ghost is in love with him?"

"No!" Zuko snapped.

"That could be possible," Katara admitted. The firebender sent them both glares.

"Forget it! I'll just take a rinse and met you two downstairs for breakfast," Zuko growled before slamming the door closed on the both of them. Katara and Aang glanced at each other. Aang shrugged and turned around, just as a splash was heard and a scream followed.

The Avatar looked concerned and Katara shook her head. She knew that sound. "He just forgot to heat up the water."

"Oh." The two headed to the stairs; Aang following the waterbender. "So, are you going to try to talk to the spirits in the house?"

"Eventually," Katara said. "Even if they aren't malicious, they should be put to rest."

"Eventually?" Aang looked over at her curiously. "Do you have other plans?" Katara took a deep breath as they began down the stairs.

"There is something I need to take care of first," she replied in a quieter voice. "For Yugoda."

Aang looked at her critically. "You didn't say anything about that when we were coming here. Is it about what happened last night? About what those men said?"

Katara nodded. "That and more. They're planning on tearing down Yugoda's house and school soon, so I need to go and collect the things inside. I can't let them get to them."

The Avatar furrowed his brows. "What are you talking about? Didn't you tell the princess last night that you left what Yugoda passed on to you here so that they could be used to teach others."

He watched her back stiffen. Katara stopped halfway down the stairs, one hand clenching the banister, before she slowly turned around to face him. "There is something there that Yugoda doesn't want to be taught."

Aang took a step down, never breaking their stare. "Katara," he began carefully. "What happened last night?"

* * *

It never felt so good to be clothed. Zuko couldn't help but tighten the ties on his long sleeved tunic as he walked down the hall. He had tried to keep his back to the spot on the wall where Katara had been looking, but he wasn't foolish enough to think that the ghost hadn't moved. He couldn't even enjoy the hot bath he had been looking to.

"What happened to helping but the dead to rest...," he grumbled under his breath as he came down the stairs. "Seeing me naked isn't going to put that ghost at peace." He'd been ogled before, but not by someone who was dead. In fact, he still felt that he was being stared at.

He reached the floor below the bedrooms and headed to the informal dining area where he could hear voices originating from.

"I can't do it, Aang...I can't." Zuko's footsteps slowed. His eyes narrowed as he picked up the broken, struggling chokes behind Katara's voice. "I can't do that to another person...what if something happens? What if I lose control? What if I'm not strong enough?"

He stopped a few paces from the entrance. "Yugoda came to you for a reason," Aang's voice was low and seriously. "She must've believed you are the right person to bare the burden."

"It is not a burden I wish to carry!"

"But if you don't carry it, who will, Katara?" Aang asked. "Even as the Avatar, I am unable to reach particular levels of bending. Those who have that potential are rare. And Yugoda was right, those who would be able to avoid the temptations it brings are even rarer."

"It is a monstrous power, Aang," Katara shook her head.

"It is only an ability, Katara," Aang told her. "There is no bad or good bending. There is just bending. What it is used for determines if it is used for bad or good. Besides, there is a chance that you won't even have to do it." Zuko heard a shifting and stepped closer to the doorway, craning his head so that he could peer into the dining area.

Katara was sitting at the head of the table, her body hunched over an empty bowl as her downcast head rested in her hand. Aang knelt down beside her and was rubbing her back soothingly.

"I'm still scared, Aang."

"It's only a possibility. You nave never to use it and I'll do what I can to help," Aang assured her. "Zuko and I both will."

Katara's head shot up. A panicked look filled her face as she met Aang's eyes. "No!" she gasped as she paled. Zuko couldn't know. Zuko would be horrified and she couldn't... "Don't tell him!"

"Don't tell me what?" Katara shot up from her chair, knocking over Aang as she whirled around to face the firebender standing at the doorway. Gold eyes narrowed critically as he met her gaze. "What's wrong?"

She turned her head away and quickly brought her hands to her eyes to wipe away any tears that remained. She sniffled and shook her head. "Nothing."

"Nothing," he repeated with a frown. Zuko crossed his arms over his chest. "I heard you crying from the hall."

"It's just the stress," Katara said lamely.

"That's what you don't want to tell me?" Zuko questioned, sounding displeased. He was sure she was hiding something.

"You worry too much," she offered as she lifted her face to meet his. "I don't want to pour my troubles on to you."

He remained standing in front of her. "Katara-"

"I'm done here," Katara said as she stepped back and turned away. "I ate my fill. We left you some, though," she rambled as she stepped around him and made a beeline for the hall. "You better eat before it freezes over."

Zuko turned around, still frowning. Aang brushed off his clothes and called after her. "Katara, you can't practice it without another," he said as he stepped in front of Zuko and gave her a serious look. "I'm the Avatar and the offer stands."

She pursed her lips. How could she bloodbend the Avatar? Didn't he understand what could happen with one tiny mistake?

"What offer? Do you need someone to practice bending with?" Zuko persisted. "Katara, you know I'm happy to spar with you."

Katara shook her head. Zuko would be an even worse choice to use bloodbending on. "Thanks for the offer guys, but don't worry. I'll figure something out." She vanished into the hall and Aang let out a heavy breath. He lifted his hand and rubbed his head.

"Aang," Zuko began. The Avatar tensed and winced at the sound of the banished prince's voice. "What's going on?"

The airbender looked away. He wanted to tell Zuko, but she had told Aang not. The Avatar was caught. He wanted to tell the man who had remained diligently at the waterbender's side what was going on with their friend - that Katara now carried a terrifying bending ability that could make them dance like puppets. To Katara, it was an impure ability. It was a poisoning of another's body and it shamed her to have to learn it. Zuko, whom she respected and cared for, was some she couldn't tell of her ability. She had only told Aang because he was the Avatar and she had hoped that he had a solution. Unfortunately, he didn't.

"Katara's facing some stress," he answered, as vaguely as he could. "Last night, at the Spirit Oasis, her late healing master placed another burden on her. It...it is not something that we can easily help her with."

"Well, what is it?" Zuko demanded. "I'll be the judge of whether or not I can ease her burden."

"She told me not to tell you," Aang reminded him. "I have to respect that."

"But what if-"

"Zuko," Aang cut him off. "Katara is our friend. She has to make her own decisions. All we can do is support her and respect them." Zuko ran a hand down his face. Since when did they hide secrets from each other? Was that what friends did?

"Fine," he conceded, irritated. "I'll wait. If she wants to tell me, she will." Aang nodded and Zuko turned around.

"Where are you going?" Aang asked as Zuko exited the dining room. "What about breakfast!"

"I'm not hungry!"

Zuko went down the stairs and crossed the main living area, stopping only to grab another heavy coat from the closet, before heading to the door that lead out into the street level. He pulled it open and was only mildly apologetic when it slammed shut and locked behind him.

Admittedly, perhaps he was being a bit dramatic about this. He had to think about this rationally. Katara had her reasons, he was sure. There was also no need to be angry at Aang, just because they were all friends and Katara deemed it acceptable to tell Aang and not him. Zuko frowned. Was it because the other man was the Avatar? Was it something only the Avatar could help her with? How did she know that he couldn't do anything?

He had told her that he would do what he could to help her. After what had happened at the ruins of the Fire Nation colony, he'd think that she'd understand that and would tell him. So why didn't she? Wasn't she comfortable with him?

They spent so much time together, that even nearly undressing in front of her didn't seem to faze either of them. Did she not trust him? Was that it?

Zuko shook his head and tried to ignore the unsettling self-esteem problems that question posed. He had to trust Katara. She must've had her reasons and she had every right to have her own secrets. After all, he still hadn't told her about his royal background. Zuko ran a hand down his face. What was stopping him from telling her about that, anyway?

He came to a stop and looked around. In his frustration he had wandered outside, walked for who knew how long, and now found himself in an unrecognizable location. A quiet swear escaped his lips. Wonderful. He was lost. Zuko took another deep breath to calm himself.

It wasn't a problem, he asserted. The city wasn't huge and he was sure someone could point him in the right direction. In addition, it wasn't the first time he'd gotten lost. He had given Lu Ten a few gray hairs when he first got to the Earth Kingdom and wandered away from his cousin. It resulted in his cousin refusing to leave Zuko's side during the start of his banishment. He was just a child, Lu Ten had told him, it was easy for him to lose his way.

But Zuko had eventually learned to figure out his own way around and Lu Ten was forced to return to his royal obligations. No matter what, Zuko knew he had to learn to depend on himself.

He began to walk alongside a canal, deducing that sooner or later, it would lead to the main canal and from there, he could find the house.

"Good day, Prince Zuko!" a voice greeted as a woman passed him. He perked up and turned around.

"Excuse me?"

The woman in the rich blue clothes turned around and he could make out a few stray white hairs falling out of her hood. "You are Prince Zuko, aren't you?" the tribe royal asked as she furrowed her brows. "I am Yue, Katara's friend here. We met last night."

"Oh, right." He quickly gave her a respectful bow. "My apologies, Your Highness, I did not recognize you."

"No formalities are necessary," Yue assured him. "We are peers, yes? And Katara is our friend."

His chest ached at her name, but he nodded. "Yes. And, the same, to you of course. Zuko is fine." She nodded.

"I hope you are enjoying your walk in our city," Yue continued before giving him a small bow. "I wish to be more proper of a host, but I'm afraid I must go. Er...is Katara at her grandfather's home?"

"Yes," Zuko replied. "She was earlier, at least."

"I do hope she is still there," Yue fretted before gathering her thick outer robe and turning around.

Zuko frowned. "Is there a problem?"

"I'm afraid so," Yue said as she scurried in the opposite direction Zuko was going. "I am unsure if Katara has had a chance to return to Yugoda's school and home, yet, but I must urge her to do so at once." That wasn't the conversation Zuko thought Yue was seeking Katara for. Instead of continuing on his way, he began to follow her. She didn't stop him. "The masters - the ones you met last night - are appealing to my father and the council. With Katara's appearance, they wish for the house to be opened so that they can help her empty the house and tear it down sooner." The blue-eyed woman frowned. "And I am certain that is not what Katara wants."

"Can they do that?" Zuko frowned. Yue nodded.

"As long as my father approves. The Avatar was sitting with them during the meeting and sent me to inform Katara," Yue said. "It is almost midday now." Zuko looked up at the sky. He couldn't really tell, but didn't think that much time had passed since he stormed out of the house. "I hope she is still there."

Zuko assured her that Katara was still sleeping, as she had stayed out the night before. Yue looked upset at the news.

"I am only adding to Katara's worries," she admitted as they crossed a large courtyard Zuko recognized. "With my engagement to Hahn. I'm sure she's told you about Sokka."

"Her brother, right?" he mumbled, distractedly.

"I hope you do not think badly of me, but my heart still belongs to Sokka. I fear it always will, but much is expected of me. I can only have solace in that, as equals, Sokka and Katara understand those expectations well," Yue asserted. "You must, as well, don't you?" she asked as they turned a corner and appeared on the street the house was located on. "As a Fire Nation royal? Our marriages are not often one of our choice."

Zuko snapped his head to her. "How did you know about that?"

"I remember your name from long ago," Yue said. "I wasn't sure, so confirmed with Aang." She glanced over her shoulder at him as they crossed the street. "He said not to mention it to Katara. Why have you not told her?"

"It hasn't come up," he answered quickly. "But I will tell her later." They reached the door and Zuko reached forward and grabbed the handle. "Of course," he grumbled. He shook it roughly. "It's lock-"

"Allow me," Yue said as she pulled back her hood and pulled out a long, metal pin. Zuko found himself stepping aside as she inserted the pin into the key lock and began to move it around. A small click was heard and she leaned against the door pushing it open. She didn't bother looking back at him, but addressed his silent question none-the-less. "Sokka taught me!"

Before he could respond, Yue darted into the house, heading straight for the stairs. It shouldn't have surprised the firebender that the princess knew exactly where Katara was. As childhood friends, she must've come over.

By the time Zuko reached Katara's room, she was already awake and sitting up in bed, listening with wide eyes as Yue told her what was happening.

"They're not there already, are they?" the waterbender choked as she kicked off her thick blankets. Zuko turned his eyes away to avoid catching a look at the woman whose sleep shirt had ridden up to her stomach.

"I don't believe so, but Father was speaking to the masters earlier. I do not know if he had approved their request," Yue said as she watched Katara scramble for her clothes. "But I took the key to Yugoda's!" Zuko eyed the princess warily. Picking locks and stealing keys? Of the two chiefs' daughters before him, he had thought Yue was the more princess-like, but he supposed any friend of Katara's was more than they let on.

"Great!" Katara said as she hopped on one foot, trying to shove on her boot with one hand while the other reached for her waterskin.

"Katara," Zuko called from the doorway.

"Zuko!" she said as she looked up and gave him a nod. "Good! You can come, too."

He gave her a quizzical look, but nodded. She nearly flew past him as she rushed down the hall, with Yue, in her bulkier clothes, struggled to keep up.

"Katara, wait a moment!" he called out as they went down the stairs. "What are you planning to do?"

"I thought I had time, but I should've known that my arriving would've made them panic," Katara muttered. "I need to find something that belonged to my master. They're private letters," she tried to explain. "It would destroy her if they became known."

"Yugoda had such letters?" Yue asked, her voice somewhat scandalized. "She never seemed the type. She was so kind."

"It's not what you think," Katara replied. The door slammed and locked behind them as they raced up the streets. "They're just private and Yugoda wanted me to make sure they stayed that way."

Both Yue and Zuko had further questions, but didn't pry; instead concentrating on following her. They cut through the streets, letting Katara lead them to a small lot nestled in a cul-du-sac. A larger building stood in front of another one and Katara ignored it in favor of going to the small house.

She skidded to a stop as she furrowed her brows and she looked at the door handle. Her eyes trailed up the doorframe. "What's wrong?" Yue panted as she caught up with them.

Katara's head was tilted up. "There's a gap between the door and the frame," she whispered. She looked down and reached for the handle. A feeling of dread knotted in her stomach as the handle moved without resistance, completely unlocked. As her suspicion was confirmed, she felt her heart slamming against her chest. Someone had gotten there before them.

"It's alright," Zuko whispered against her head as he moved beside her. "Maybe it just wasn't locked." He looked over the handle and checked the lock area. "There's no sign of forced entry, Katara." She nodded, but couldn't shake the feeling that something was still off.

"Yugoda lived alone and was childless," the waterbender told him. "She was a widow before I even met her. There shouldn't be anyone who would have reason to come here, inside her house, unless they were after her things."

"Are you saying someone broke in?" Yue gasped. Katara narrowed her eyes and steeled herself.

"Anything is possible," she whispered. Zuko pushed the door forward.

It creaked open and he shouted into the dark interior. "Hello? Is anyone here?" When no one answered, Katara stepped into the modest, one story home. The inside of the small house was chill and Katara began to look for lanterns. Zuko entered after her, glancing around the homestead that was vastly different from the grandeur of Katara's grandfather's house.

Yue hesitantly ducked through the moon door and looked around. "Do you know where it is?"

Katara held up a small metal lantern and Zuko automatically lit the oil within with a small flame. Light was shed into the living area and from what they saw, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Yes...stay out here, Yue. If you see anyone coming, let us know," Katara instructed. Yue nodded and positioned herself close the door. Katara waved for Zuko to follow her as she handed him the lantern.

He followed her down the hall to a small door at the end. The old patterned fur blankets on the wall weren't out of place, either were a few decorative weapons that hung with them. Everything seemed normal until they reached the last door. Katara frowned as she noticed it was partially open. Her footsteps quickened and she reached out for the handle, pushing it open.

The door easily swung and Katara inhaled a sharp breath. She stopped at the doorway, her eyes wide as she looked around the scattered belongings strewn across the floor of the bedroom.

Zuko's eyes narrowed as he stopped beside her. "Spirits...what happend." Katara's hand rose to her mouth and covered the shocked, open gape. There were scrolls opened and tossed aside, clothes were removed carelessly from the armoire where they were kept, the cushions and blankets of the old bed were overturned, and numerous boxes and overturned items littered the tops of shelves, dressers, and the floor.

Katara's eyes were automatically drawn to a hastily tossed stack of papers. She swept into the room, careful not to step on anything, before she knelt down in front of the papers and gathered them in her trembling hands.

"I drew this...," Katara whispered as she pulled aside a worn piece of paper with a watercolored doodle of a woman and a man. Her eyes watered. "Before my vision was sealed...I..." She closed her eyes and rubbed her arm against them. "It was Yugoda and her late husband...I saw him so I...I drew him for Yugoda since she didn't have any pictures of him." She choked back a cry as she looked at the mess around her. "Look at all of this, Zuko," she said in a pained voice. Those were her beloved master's precious, personal things. "Who could do such a this?"

"I don't know," Zuko said in a disgusted voice. Nothing seemed out of place in the living quarters, but why there in the bedroom? Had they no respect for the dead?

Katara crushed the drawings against her as she looked around the room. "Yugoda didn't have any enemies. Everyone loved her. Why would someone do this?" Zuko lowered his head, unsure of what to say. "Who did this?"

"I don't know...," he whispered.

"Please, I have to know," Katara pleaded. He turned back to her.

"Katara, I..." His voice trailed off as she saw her staring at the space by the bed, away from him.

Her eyes watered as she hunched over. "He can't talk...I forgot."

"Who can't?" Zuko asked quietly. Katara lowered the papers in her arms. On top was her watercolor.

"He can't," the waterbender said sadly. Yugoda's husband. Zuko felt his heart ache. He placed the lantern on a table by the bed and knelt down beside her.

"It's alright, Katara."

"No, it's not," she choked. She vaguely motioned to some of the items on the floor. "That was her favorite comb. She had it since she was a child; she and my Gran-Gran have matching ones. That," she said pointing to a toppled wooden box. "She said was a gift from her husband. She said...she said he was poor and was afraid she wasn't satisfied with the match, so he built her a little jewelry box in place of a fancy one he couldn't afford. These are her memories, Zuko. Parts of her." She choked back a cry. "And they destroyed them as if they were nothing."

She struggled to keep her sobbing. The old woman who had taken care of her was such a kind, loving woman; a good friend to three generations of her family. Just seeing the things she cherished tossed aside hurt.

The figure that had been standing sadly across the room reached for her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and, though she couldn't feel the weight of flesh and bone, she could feel the warmth of the emotion he conveyed.

"I know," Katara whispered. "Please forgive me for being so late and allowing this to happen." He shook his head, as if to tell her she was not at fault. He opened his mouth, wanting to comfort her, but no words came out. Since she was a child, he had never spoken, she vaguely remembered. He did, however, always smile at her kindly. Like Yugoda, her husband had been a good person, even in death.

Gathering her strength, she tried to smile back.

"Katara," Zuko said as he watched her carefully. "What do you want to do? Everything is a mess. Do you think they were looking for the letters?" He tensed. "Katara, do you think-"

"No," Katara shook her head as she quietly filed the drawings back together and placed them on the shelf. She pushed herself up and moved to the wall by the door. She stood beside the armoire and looked down at the solid ice floor. "The entire house has a stone base, but not the bedroom." She closed the door so she could stand behind and held a position Zuko noticed as foreign to waterbending.

"Are you going to try to earthbend the stone base here?" Zuko asked as he raised a brow. Katara gave him a silencing look.

"Yugoda was a master waterbender, but she was also well versed in other bending styles." Katara looked at the floor and took a deep breath. She stomped her foot on the ground and pushed out her fist, sending a chunk of ice the armoire was on forward, as if it had been resting on a slab of stone. Zuko opened his eyes wide in surprise as Katara lowered her arms and relaxed. Underneath the ice slab was a crude stone box. It could've easily been mistaken as one of the stone bricks under the foundation, but Katara knelt down and picked it up She smiled to herself and lifted the lid up to show Zuko. "Letters."

Zuko blinked. "Are you sure those are the right ones?" Katara kept the folded pieces of parchment on her lap as she returned the stone box. Her hand rested over the letters. Yugoda had told her exactly where they were. No one else would know. She lowered her eyes and looked at the papers.

Characters were carefully written on their backs. Master Hama to Master Yugoda of the Northern Tribe. Her other hand clenched. "I'm sure."

"I was unaware that the house has been released to your masters!" Yue's voice was abnormally loud and Katara snapped her head towards the door. Her eyes wide. Others had arrived.

"We only came to survey the items in the house to see what needs to be moved," Hangok assured her as he tried to step around the princess. Another waterbender from his class, one of the young men who had been at the dinner the night before, tried to follow him. Yue stood her ground, frowning and refusing to let them past.

"I don't believe that is necessary," she replied proudly. "Katara has already informed me that she will see to the items Yugoda left behind. Do remember that Yugoda bequeathed her belongings, including her instruction material to Katara."

"They are instruction materials," Hangok said as he met her frown with one of his own. "That had been handed down to Yugoda by Northern masters. They should stay here, in the Northern Water Tribe."

"That is not up for you to decide," Yue told him sharply. "You may appeal to Katara to keep the various scrolls and-"

"There they are!" another voice said. Yue snapped her head to the side. She barely held back the surprised expression as she saw her fiance being accompanied down the street by another one of Hangok's fellow former classmate and bender.

"Hahn," Yue said. She gave him a small nod to acknowledge him. "What are you doing here? And with Hangok and the others?"

"They were showing me around," Hahn told her, pleased at the attention he was receiving. "I'll be their chief one day," he reminded her. "So they wanted me to be familiar with the city."

"Princess, if you please," Hangok addressed her. She could hear the hint of triumph in his voice. He would not be able to order her to the side, but Hahn would. "We need to get through."

Yue locked her jaw. "No. Not until permission has been given. You are trespassing, Hangok."

"Yue, that is such a harsh word," Hahn chastised. He looked at the other three men and gave them a look, as if he were apologizing for his fiancee's actions. "We are one tribe. These men should be able to go where they please."

"This is not just any place, Hahn. This is someone's home," Yue insisted. "And the contents within are not theirs to take."

"Excuse her," Hahn said as he stepped between Hangok and Yue, casually moving her to the side to allow the others in. "She is too sympathetic and does not understand that you are trying to be of help."

Yue's eyes were wide. She could feel anger coursing through her. "Do not push me aside, Hahn," she said in a low voice. "You may be my fiancee, but you are not the chief, yet," she hissed. She shoved past him and stood with her arms out, barring them from entering the hall. She eyed the three others. "You will wait until Katara has finished her business here."

"I told you she'd come here," one of the waterbenders sighed.

"Why wouldn't she?" a low voice came from the hall. A glowing light appeared from the dark hall, courtesy of a small flame dancing atop Zuko's palm. He eyes were narrowed as he walked out of the hall. "She has every right to come here, unlike you three."

The tension thickened and Yue felt Zuko's hand on her shoulder, gently moving her behind him so that he could take her place as a barricade. "Where is Katara?" she asked quietly.

"She wanted a moment alone to mourn the death of her master," Zuko answered solemnly, not taking his eyes off the other men. "You all should know that she was unable to attend the last ceremony. I think the respectful thing to do would be to allow her some time to properly mourn, so I advise that you leave here."

"A guest should not order his hosts," Hangok told him coldly. "This is a tribal matter, firebender. You do not understand nor do you have any place to interject."

"Katara is a good friend of mine and the princess is a sister to her. When you blatantly disrespect their wishes and they are unable to act, it becomes my place to interject," Zuko glared. "You should count yourself lucky that your princess is Yue and not Princess Azula of the Fire Nation. If you were standing before her, you would not have your heads for your lack of respect."

Yue gave Zuko a bow of her head. "Your sympathy is appreciated, Zuko, but it is not necessary," she assured him. She turned sharply to the others. "Hangok and the others will  _leave here_."

The would-be plantbender opened his mouth to refuse her once more when Katara appeared at the entrance to the hall. "You need not worry about cleaning up the belongings of my master," she told them coldly. "I will do it myself."

"Master Katara, allow us to assist you," another waterbender offered. "You are accompanying the Avatar. You must have better things to do than clean."

"Actually, Katara's pretty free at the moment, so she can do whatever she wants," a voice said casually from the doorway. "And I'm sure Zuko and I can lend her a hand." Aang was leaning against the entrance doorway, smiling pleasantly as he held his staff beside him. "Right, guys?"

Zuko had to admit, the Avatar had good timing. "It won't take long at all," he agreed.

"There," Yue said as she turned back to her tribesman. "The Avatar has excused you all."

"Even if he has," Hangok said, trying to keep the scowl off his face. "All these belongings can't be removed on her own, with two other people, by the time the buildings are torn down." The corner of Katara's eye twitched at the reminder.

"Oh, I know," Aang nodded. He straightened up and moved aside, waving his free hand out the door. "That's why I wandered over to the dock and got some hired help!" Katara's eyes widened as a handful of men in matching green and gold colored robes and furs appeared. Embroidered in gold against their green clothes was a seal of a flying boar. "Who would've guessed that a few of the Bei Fong ships were stopped here for trade."

Yue let out a muffled giggle as Zuko and Katara smiled. "Avatar Aang," one of the men bowed to him. "We've brought a cargo boat to the nearest canal to bring the items to your lodging."

"Thank you, Captain," Aang bowed back. "You can direct your men to take instruction from Master Katara," he said as he motioned one hand to the brown-haired woman. "It is her master who has passed."

"Our condolences, Master Katara," the Captain said as he bowed his head to her, an action mirrored by his crewmen. "Please allow us to be of help."

All eyes were on the female bending master. She took a deep breath and turned proudly to the Water Tribe males. "Thank you for offering your services, gentlemen, but I shall take it from here." It was a polite order for them to leave.

Hesitantly, they filed out of house as Katara began to give orders. Hahn, somewhat confused, looked around, unsure if he should join them or remain. "Now that everything is settled," Yue said as she put her hands together, pleased. "Where shall I begin?" she asked, looking around and hopeful to help.

"It's fine, Yue," Katara said. "The Captain and his men will be more than enough help."

"Oh," the princess said, looking somewhat disappointed. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Katara smiled. She reached for Yue's hands and grasped them, giving them a soft squeeze. She moved closer. "Thank you for help, my sister," she whispered. Her expression softened. "We still need to talk about other matters," she reminded the royal. "Are you available later tonight?"

Yue, still a bit saddened, nodded. "Of course," she assured Katara. "Shall I come to your grandfather's?"

"I'll come to you," Katara told her. "It is the least I can do after having you run around today."

"Alright," Yue conceded. "Someone needs to bring Hahn back, anyway." Katara nodded and released the princess's hand, allowing her to bow to Zuko and Aang before leading Hahn away.

"Master Katara," the Captain said as Zuko lead a small group into the hall, to the bedroom. "What is the location of your grandfather's house? The Avatar has instructed us to bring the items there."

"About that," the waterbender said. "Captain, I hate to ask this of you, but is it possible for you to make delivery for me?"

The black-haired man raised a brow. "As long it is on our route, yes, Master Katara. I believe we can."

The female waterbender nodded. "I would like these things brought to the Southern Water Tribe. Address them to Elder Kanna and Master Pakku."

Aang looked surprised. "Are you sure you don't want to bring them over to the house first?"

Katara nodded. "If I leave them there, whoever," she spat out, stressing the word. "Ransacked Yugoda's house may try to get through Grandpa's to get to her things." She narrowed her eyes. "I won't let anything else happen to them, so, as one prodigy firebending princess says, this is an important, seemingly unnecessary, counteraction."

* * *

"Hangok?" Aang asked as he lifted his head from the scroll he was reviewing. "Are you sure?"

"When we were in the bedroom," Katara recalled solemnly. "And we heard his voice, Yugoda's husband looked towards the door and frowned. His face grew dark and he pointed to the door."

"He had been lingering at the house the entire time," Zuko added. "He must've seen who did it."

"He can't speak, so he couldn't answer when I asked the first time, but when he reacted to Hangok, I asked again," the woman added. "And he nodded."

"My question is that if it was Hangok, what was he doing in Yugoda's house?" Zuko asked. "And do any of his waterbending peers or masters have anything to do with it."

Aang tapped the top of the scroll against his chin. "I actually kind of doubt that the masters had anything to do with it."

"What?" Zuko asked. He sat up straight and frowned. "What do you mean? You saw them last night. They were completely rude to Katara."

"But being rude and breaking into and tearing apart a deceased woman's home are two different things," Aang pointed out. "Besides, at the meeting today, both masters were asking for the house to be open now that Katara is here, but the council denied them. They were upset, but overheard them saying that it wouldn't be long, anyway and they'd just wait it out."

"They could've just told Hangok to go in their place," Zuko pointed out. "So they wouldn't be suspected."

Aang shook his head. "Hangok and the two other benders were there. Before the council ended and the masters were denied, they had already left. I suspect that's when they went to the house."

"Katara," Zuko called as he looked over at the waterbender staring blankly at the fire as her mind wrestled with information. "Is there any way you can ask Yugoda's husband."

"No," Katara said. "He's gone."

"What?" The two men chorused. Katara's eyes flickered up and met theirs.

"When Zuko left, I told him I would take care Yugoda's things. I promised him I would," she explained. "That was what was tying him to this world; making sure she had peace of mind by remaining in the house, watching over it and waiting. He himself couldn't do much, but just acting as a guardian was enough."

Aang smiled slightly. "He must've really loved her."

Katara smiled and nodded. "He still does." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before exhaling a sigh. "I need to go," she said as she rose from the cushions. "I'm supposed to talk to Yue tonight."

"Want us to come?" Aang piped. She shook her head as she reached the closet for her coat.

"No, it's personal girl talk and stuff," she dismissed. "Anyway, I need you to look over those records."

Aang wrinkled his nose, but nodded. "Okay..." He slumped back against the cushions surrounding the fire pit.

"Don't stay out too late," Zuko called as she tugged her overcoat over her head.

"Worry wart," she mumbled. She looked over her shoulder. "Why don't you help Aang with those records and find out why the ghosts still lingering in this house. If we can find out how they died, maybe we can find out what ties them here. That would be a big help...especially since one of them seems to have taken quite a liking to you."

He shot her an annoyed glare, only to have her smirk back. "I'm starting to get used to the idea," he grumbled as he walked her to the front door. He opened it for her, but grasped her hand before she passed. Katara paused and gave him a questioning look. "Seriously, though, if you're going to stay out all night again, at least let us know. After what happened today, I think we all have reason to be worried."

Katara smiled softly. She lifted her gloved hand from his and cupped the side of his face. "We burned the letters, Zuko," she told him. "They can try all they want now, but Yugoda's secret is safe." He gave her a nod, accepting her answer before she stepped back and drew her hand away. Katara tugged up her hood and proceeded up the street.

"Don't lose your gloves again!" he called out lamely.

She didn't look back, but gave him a wave. Zuko let out a heavy breath and ran a hand down his face. She did seem much more relaxed. When they heard Hangok's voice, she had paled. She had looked from the door to the letters on her lap and back. Katara had shot to her feet and turned towards him, only to stop and look at an empty spot beside him.

Her eyes narrowed. "Was it him?" she had asked. Zuko had easily heard the anger in her voice. Katara had clenched her hands before she moved her eyes to him. She had told him she needed to get rid of the letters before they were found. Zuko had nodded and bended a flame in his hand.

Katara had stared at it for just a moment before tightening her hands around the letters and placing them in his palm. A few moments later, they were no more than ashes. Mission accomplished, he would say. Afterwards, simply getting her master's precious things away from those who would pillage her home seemed to relax Katara.

By that evening, she seemed back to normal and was now focused on helping the remaining dead around them. Aang was pleased that she wanted to, as he had brought back some records hoping they would help unlock the mysteries around the dead.

Zuko closed the door, locked it, and headed back inside.

"You know, it really would be a big help," Aang said as he reappeared in the room. Zuko looked forward and Aang pointed to a large bag spilling with scrolls beside him. "Going by the style of clothing Katara described, we've estimated about three decades during Avatar Kyoshi's period for the little girl and her brother." He beamed. "I've gotten through two years so far."

He wanted to help Katara, he asserted to himself. If this eased her burden just a bit, he would be of help. "Fine," he said. "I'll start from the end."

* * *

Zuko's brows furrowed as he shifted on his cushion. His eyes ran across the description of two children of a wealthy house who had gone missing. One was a little girl and her older brother. He scanned down the scroll. It mentioned nothing about their deaths, only that they had gone missing three moons into the new year. His eyes crinkled sadly. Their bodies were never found and they were presumed dead.

His hands holding the scroll fell tiredly on to his lap as closed his eyes. "Aang," he said. "I think I found them." No one answered. Zuko opened his eyes and lifted his head, looking across the dying fire pit at the bald monk sprawled across the cushions with his mouth wide open.

A muffled snore came from the Avatar and Zuko stared at him with disbelief. Wasn't it his idea to go through the record scrolls anyway? Instead, Aang had been the first to fall asleep.

Then again, Avatar or not, he was still a teenage boy. Zuko let out a heavy breath and put his scroll aside. He circled the fire pit and gently pried Aang's scroll from his hand and placed it on top of the stack beside him. As he passed the fire once more, he scooped up some blubber chips and threw them into the fire to burn.

When he was satisfied the fire was growing, he headed to the hall closet to fetch a throw blanket for the Aang. As he opened the doors, he smiled slightly to himself. His mother used to find him and Azula sleeping in the strangest of places - some rocks at the beach, at their family's summer estate in Ember Island, in the garden, completely tired out after a day of chasing each other. If she didn't carry them to more appropriate places to sleep, she would place blankets over them and remain at their sides until they woke.

His smile faded. When their mother had died, he found himself being the one to put blankets on Azula and stay with her as she went through the horrid nightmares of losing their mother. Zuko slowly lifted a blanket from the pile on the shelf inside the closet and held it against him as he lowered his head. He closed his eyes and let out a heavy breath before turning. He made it one step away from the closet when he heard noises coming from the open door leading to the storage area on the ground floor.

The firebender straightened up and narrowed his eyes. He craned his head to the door as he placed the blanket on a table. He heard a dull thud again and frowned. Abandoning the blanket, he slipped through the open door and lingered at the top of the stairs, listening closely.

"It's locked!"

"Of course it's locked! Move!" There were muffled male voices coming from behind the wooden door that lead to the small dock at the back of the house.

Zuko quietly crept down the stairs, crouching against the wall as he kept his eyes on to the door. Shadows were moving from the gap between the door and stone floor and silently Zuko wondered just how many thieves there were.

The jiggling of the handle stopped and the noise of movement from the outside went quiet. He heard the familiar cracks of ice and grit his teeth as he watched the lock being turned using waterbending. Male voices and waterbending.

His thoughts immediately went to the trespassing tribesmen from that morning. He narrowed his eyes. For their sake, whoever was trying to break into Katara's grandfather's house better had not been them.

Zuko pressed himself against the back wall as the door slowly opened. He squinted as he made out their figures against the light coming from outside.

"Check the boxes for the letters," the first man who entered ordered. "That idiot fiance of the princess said that he heard they were taking Yugoda's things here."

One of the men handed the man who looked like the leader a lantern and Zuko silently swore. Their faces were covered, save for a space for their eyes. Blue eyes and brown skin could've been anyone in the tribe, but even with their faces covered, Zuko knew that annoying, self-absorbed voice.

Before the men could begin looking around Zuko pushed himself from the wall and threw a ball of fire through the room. The flame illuminated the darkroom as Zuko jumped from the stairs. "Hey!" he shouted. "What do you think you're doing!?"

"It's the firebender!"

"Move!" the leader growled as he shoved his lantern into another's arms and pushed them through the door. He turned back to Zuko and narrowed his eyes. He shifted back and drew his arms up and over his head. Water streamed from outside and slammed on to the stone floor. He held his hands out and blew, freezing the water into slippery ice.

Zuko sneered. That was a cheap trick. "That's all you can do? What kind of waterbender are you!" he snorted as he jumped and grabbed on to one of the support beams above them. In his thinner house clothes, it was an easy matter to move and use the beams and support poles to avoid the ice.

He landed with a thud just a few paces from the man. In the better light, Zuko recognized the full uniform of Northern Water Tribe warriors, though not waterbending warriors. However, clearly at least one of them was.

Swearing, the man turned around and darted out the door as Zuko shot his fist forward and send another ball of fire towards him. Growling when the man ducked, Zuko shot out the door after him. He didn't even notice the freezing air breeching his clothes as he yelled for them to stop.

On the dock outside, the two others were yelling for the man to hurry as they pushed off from the dock. They used bending to move the low, double hulled vessel - it must've been Hangok's friends. Zuko slid to a stop and brought down a wave of fire, slicing towards them.

The leader jumped off the edge of the dock, turning his body around as he did to bend a shield of water over them. The fire fizzled out and he slammed against the floor of the boat. Zuko seethed.

"You're not getting away...," he hissed as he rushed forward. Suddenly, he lost control of his right leg. Zuko's eyes widened as he took a step forward, only to have his leg swing across his other one, sending him falling to to the wooden dock. He slammed his shoulder against the floor and tumbled forward, stopping just before he rolled off the edge.

The banished prince looked out towards the canal and met the blue eyes of a man huffing tiredly as he tried to steady himself on the boat. The two other benders, one on either end of the boat, raised their arms and began drawing water over their heads. The boat began to sink into the canal, quickly disappearing under the icy water.

"Zuko!" Aang filled the doorway to the house as he came to a stop and saw the firebender crumpled at the edge of the dock. "Zuko! What happened!?"

"They tried to break into the house," Zuko frowned as he winced and pushed himself on to his back. He'd get a bruise that morning, that was for sure. "Ah...," he grimaced as he looked down at his leg. "What did they do?"

"Don't move," Aang said as he knelt down beside his fallen friend. He moved his hands over Zuko's leg. "Nothing feels broken."

"It's not that," Zuko scowled. "I was running towards the boat."

"Boat?" Aang looked up.

"They're gone," Zuko scowled . "They went underwater."

"A boat underwater?" Aang asked, unconvinced. "Are you sure you didn't hit your head, too?" He received a glare in return.

"Just help me up," Zuko snapped. Aang grasped his arm and pulled him up. Zuko planted his foot on the ground and carefully put weight on his leg. His brows furrowed. "It aches...but I can feel it."

"Of course you can," Aang said. "Come on, let's get you inside and you can tell me what happened."

"No, you don't understand," Zuko insisted. "I was running and my leg flew out from under me and moved in front of my other leg."

"So you tripped?"

"No!" Zuko hissed as he walked carefully back into the house. "I didn't move my leg! It's like it moved on it's own!"

Aang froze beside the door. His eyes glassed over as his entire body tensed. A sinking feeling filled him as a shaking hand grasped the door handle. "They know," he muttered under his breath.

Zuko cocked his head to the side and looked at Aang unsurely. "What?"

The Avatar looked away and quickly closed the door behind them. He reached up and latched closed some additional floor and ceiling locks. "Nothing," he said. "Let's just get you upstairs and take a look at your shoulder. Once we get some ice on it, I'll go report the break in to the city sentries." He paused beside Zuko. "Um...need help upstairs?"

"I can make it on my own," the black-haired man said behind gritted teeth. "Just get the ice ready."

"I think I'll follow you up," Aang smiled weakly. "In case you...you know...fall."

Zuko shot him a glare, but climbed up the stairs, ignoring the slight pain in his leg with each step. They reached the main floor and Aang rushed the kitchen. He ran back out with a animal skin bag containing some ice and water.

Zuko shrugged off part of his tunic and hissed as Aang sloppily placed the ice bag on his shoulder. "Give it to me," Zuko grumbled as he snatched it from Aang.

"Sorry, I'm not exactly a good healer," Aang admitted sheepishly.

"I can't believe those idiots would try to actually break into her house," Zuko said as he settled back against the cushions. Aang moved to the fire pit and tossed some more blubber into the fire.

"Did you see who they were?" Aang asked.

"They were wearing warrior uniforms. The non-bending ones," Zuko said. "But the lower portion of their face was covered," he added, moving one hand over his mouth. "I could only see their eyes.

Aang furrowed his brows. "So, you didn't see who they were."

Zuko's face darkened. "I didn't see their full face, but I know that voice," he spat out. He met Aang's eyes. "Hangok."

That complicated things. Aang lowered his arms and looked serious. "But if you didn't see his face, it could still be anyone."

"I know his voice, Aang! He is a waterbender  _and_  he has a motive!" Zuko yelled. "How can it not be him!?"

"Zuko, I know what you're saying and you're right, it does seem like it's Hangok."

"Then report him!"

"Not until we can prove it," Aang frowned. "I'll tell the sentries there was a break in, but you scared them off, but we can't point fingers until we can prove it was Hangok."

"What more do you need?" Zuko choked. "Everything fits!"

"But you didn't see his face. All you did was hear his voice and say it was him. Even if it is Hangok and you are right, he can deny it and who do you think the council is going to believe?" Aang asked. "The foreigner or one of their own?" Zuko lowered his eyes. Aang ran a hand down his face. "We'll need to prove it so there is no question. Otherwise, if we go around accusing people, especially highly respected ones, we'll look bad."

"I don't care-"

"Katara," Aang cut him off. "Will look bad. We are her guests and our actions reflect on her. Until we can prove without a doubt it's Hangok, let's not name names. I don't want it get to him and have him find a way to cover his tracks if he did do it."

"Fine," Zuko conceded. "But I knew they were going to come. It was just a matter of time after they arrived at Yugoda's today, looking for those letters."

"Letters?" Aang piped. He tilted his head to the side. "Yugoda's letters?"

Zuko nodded. "Yeah, Katara told me about them. As soon as Yue got here to tell us, the three of us ran to the house to find them. Everything in the house was fine, except the bedroom. It looks like they were looking for something, so I figured it was the letters Katara mentioned."

Aang look visibly relieved. His shoulders relaxed and he let out a heavy sigh. "Then she told you," he said. Zuko nodded. "Good," Aang smiled. "I was getting uncomfortable keeping it from you." Aang fell back against the cushions. "So, what did you guys do with the bloodbending letters?"

Zuko narrowed his eyes and looked Aang, confused. "Bloodbending? What's bloodbending?"

* * *

Katara glanced up at the sky. It was about that time of night when it was at it's darkest and instead of staying at Yue's for the night, as the princess insisted it was too dark and late for Katara to go back by herself.

"Yue, are you forgetting that I'm a Master Waterbender?" Katara had laughed as she tugged her overcoat back on. "I'll be fine! Besides, Grandpa's house isn't far."

She had looped her waterskin around her and hugged the princess before setting out. Instead of being tired, she felt rather refreshed. It was a far cry from how she had been feeling just the night before.

Yugoda's things had been properly stored and some were already en route to the Southern Water Tribe. The letters from Hama that gave detailed instructions on bloodbending had been burned and no confrontation with those who wanted them had been necessary. Using bloodbending itself had not been necessary and a weight had been lifted off her shoulders just knowing that she wouldn't have to use it.

Learning was just a precautionary measure Yugoda had taught her. She had over thought it. It was just knowledge; Katara knew how to do it, but it didn't mean she had to. That was her decision - something she had control over.

On a more personal, less world shattering, level, she and Yue had cleared the air between them regarding Yue's engagement to Hahn. It would still go through, the white-haired woman had insisted. It was necessary for the tribe to have someone in line for chiefdom. However, after seeing Hahn with the waterbenders that day, it became clear that he needed better guidance.

As such, Yue spoke to her father and future father-in-law, suggesting that Hahn be mentored by her father so as to continue leading the tribe in the familiar, fair way they were accustomed. While it had been an affront to Hahn, as it questioned his leadership abilities, both older men had agreed.

The council, it looked like, also agreed.

"If he is to be my husband and leader of this tribe, then I will do all I can to ensure that he becomes and stays a good one," Yue had asserted. "Though if I grow to love him..."

"Sokka will understand," Katara had replied.

"He will find someone better for him," Yue had smiled sadly. "Someone who will not just be a wife, but a friend and a partner. Someone who will match him; a leader and warrior."

Katara had agreed, but then laughed, citing that someone that amazing would be too good for her brother.

All too soon it had grown late and Katara finally left. She made her way back as quickly as she could, silently hoping that Aang and Zuko hadn't attempted to stay up and wait for her again. She doubted they got much sleep the night before and after what she had dragged them through that day, they must've been exhausted.

As she approached the familiar building, she looked up. There was no light coming from the upper windows and she breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps they really had gone to sleep.

Katara reached into her pocket and fished out the house key. She easily unlocked the door

and shut it behind her. She secured the locks and turned around.

A sharp gasp escaped her lips as she jerked back, her back brushing against the heavy wooden door as she looked into a pair of blue eyes staring at her intensely.

Katara drew her head back and tried to calm herself. She blamed her reaction on the surprise of a face so close to hers rather than the fact that she was standing before the dead woman who was following her friend.

"You surprised me," she wheezed out as she lifted her free hand to her chest. She had seen others wandering the city on her way to Yue's and back, but most of them had blended in with the living. A few crossed her path, but none seemed malicious, which was her main concern after what had happened at the colony. Katara straightened up and met the spirit's eyes. If she was in front of her rather than looming over Zuko, perhaps Katara could find out how to put her soul to rest. "Is there something I can help you with?"

The woman's blue eyes bore into Katara's. The waterbender shrunk back, bumps appearing on her arms as she shuddered. Why wasn't the woman saying anything? Could she not talk?

Perhaps she couldn't and needed Katara to facilitate. The living woman opened her mouth. "Miss-"

The dead woman lunged forward. Katara tried to step back, only to run into the door. Her eyes widened and the cry died in her throat. The key still clutched in her hand fell to the ground.

* * *

A light knock against his door drew his attention from his pacing. Zuko looked up from the floor and turned to the door. He took a deep breath and clenched and unclenched his hands at his sides. Another knock sounded and he moved forward.

He pulled the door open and felt the relief wash over him as Katara bowed her head to greet him.

"Oh, good, you're alright," he rasped. The relieved smile on his face faded as memories of what happened just a few hours overshadowed seeing her. His hands rose and placed themselves on her shoulders. "Katara, did you notice anyone strange following you tonight? No one tried to attack you or anything, did they?" She didn't answer and he cocked his head. "Katara?"

He lowered his head, searching her face for a reaction. He expected her to shake her head and ask what he was talking about. Instead, blank blue eyes continued to stare at him wordlessly.

Zuko's eyes narrowed. "Katara?" he asked slowly. "Are you alright?"

A gloved hand touched the side of his face and a small smile formed on her lips. Her fingertips stroked his cheek and the firebender tensed. His eyes widened as his face heated up. Katara had touched him before, but it had always felt natural. It was a comforting gesture or a teasing one; interactions between two close friends and nothing had ever felt off about them.

Her hand stroked back his hair and he shuddered, unsettled. "Katara," he wheezed as he removed his hands from her shoulders. "Did you drink anything while at Yue's?"

Her arms had risen and coiled around his neck. The expression on her face softened as her hands played with is hair and caressed his face. He was beginning to feel nervous.

He tried to step back and put some distance between them, but Katara's grip tightened. His heart shot to his throat. This wasn't like Katara at all. Was she drunk? Did she and Yue bond over whatever alcoholic beverage they drank in the Arctic? His eyes crinkled. Her face wasn't flushed and she didn't reek of alcohol.

"I almost thought I would  _never_  see you again." A chill shot down his body as he immediately tensed.

"Katara?" His voice suddenly shot up and he grimaced. He awkwardly tried to put his hands between them and push her away, but she clung on to him. "Katara, what's wrong? You're acting strange!"

"I knew you'd come back someday," Katara beamed as she buried her face against his chest, making the firebender freeze in his spot. "So, I waited. I waited a  _hundred years_."

Color drained from his face. "Katara?" Even as he said it, he already knew he wasn't talking to her any longer.

"I missed you, Lee."


	7. Chapter Seven

**Northern Water Tribe, Early Period of Avatar Roku**

"Your father's going to be furious, Akya." She wasn't paying attention. She was too determined to make the most out of his remaining time there to think about how much trouble she'd be in with her family for sneaking out to meet him again. "I don't want him to hate me even more."

"Father doesn't hate you," she asserted, finally pulling her lips the crook of his neck and giving him a serious look. Both their faces were flushed and warm, while the top layers of their tunics were loose from all the movements of each other's hands. "He's just mad that I picked you over that nobleman's son he wants me to marry," she snorted proudly. She licked her lips and smiled lopsidedly. "But Father is foolish. Doesn't he understand that you're a nobleman, too?"

A heavy sigh escaped the black-haired man whose lap she was straddling. "Akya, I'm noble by birth, but I choose the military life," he reminded her. "When I'm out here, I'm just Lieutenant Wong of the Royal Navy."

"Hmm...not when you're with me," Akya asserted.

His lips tugged into a soft smile. "I know," he said quietly as the back of his hand gently caressed the side of her face. "When I'm with you, I'm just Lee..."

She met his eyes with her large blue ones and felt them mist just a little. It wasn't fair. Her father, the head of such a prestigious family in the Water Tribe, constantly went on about rank and social standing. He'd married off her sisters to the son of their chief, another elder's grandson, and a wealthy waterbending family's first born son. Now, it was her turn and he had his sights set on marrying her off to a young man descended from the same family as Avatar Kuruk.

Lee's warm smile met her gaze and she melted. Had she not met the naval officer who had been escorting visiting Fire Nation dignitaries, perhaps she wouldn't have rejected the match her father proposed.

"I love you," she whispered breathlessly. She could see sincerity in his eyes. It had been him who had tried to get her attention first. He had snuck out of his ship with some mates to attend a festival in the city and that was where they met. It was, as cliched as it sounded, love at first sight, the moment he nervously stumbled to her and offered her what he thought were a bouquet of sea blossoms.

It had actually just been seaweed balled together for stews, but he had looked so awkward and adorable standing nervously in front of her that she didn't care. She knew that he was 'the one'.

"I love you, too," he told her softly.

Akya closed her eyes and buried them against his shoulder. "I wish you didn't have to go."

His arm went around her shoulder and held her against him. "This is the last time, I promise."

She tensed against him. She drew her head back and gave him a concerned look as their eyes met. "What do you mean?"

Lee smiled and grasped her hands in his. "This is my last tour. After I return to the Fire Nation, I've decided not to reenlist."

Her formerly flushed face paled. Her eyes welled up with tears as she drew her head back. "No...," she choked as her hands shook. "Why?" she asked. "Did I do something wrong? Why won't you come back?"

"Akya," he chuckled as he brought her hands to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on the back of her knuckles. "I'll be coming back, just not as a naval officer." It took a moment for his words to dawn on her. Her eyes suddenly widened.

"You mean...?"

"I want to come back here, Akya," Lee told her. His expression softened. "I want to come back to you and stay."

A half-elated, half-relieved cry left her lips as she threw her arms around him and leaned into him. "Lee!"

He laughed and wrapped his arms around her. "Is that a yes? Will you marry me?"

She opened her mouth to reply positively when a shout cut through the boathouse by the docks, where they had scheduled their tryst.

"Akya!"

Her eyes widened as blood drained from her face. Her father's furious roar filled the small, wooden shack.

Lee turned towards the door that had been thrown open. His hands moved in front of him and quickly covered the exposed parts of his lover before tugging his own shirt closed. Akya had turned into a statue on top of him, too afraid to move as her the sounds of her father and what sounded like her brothers and some other men filled the room.

"Lt. Wong, Admiral Sun says you are to report to the bridge immediately!" He swore silently. So, everyone knew they were  _both_  there.

His hands rested on Akya's shoulders. "We can't hide," he told her as confidently as he could. "To hide is to be ashamed."

The petrified look on her face hardened with determination. "I am not ashamed of my love for you," she asserted.

He smiled back. "Neither am I."

They emerged from the back of the boathouse, where they had been behind one of her uncle's ships. A over a half dozen men or so were waiting at the door way. Amongst them, three Fire Nation naval officers.

Akya's hand tightened around Lee's and she felt him squeeze her back as they came out together. Her father's face had turned almost red in fury as he saw his youngest daughter with the Fire Nation sailor.

He could barely contain his anger. Akya's brothers forcibly ripped her from Lee's arms. When he tried to reach for her, his fellow officers held him back, reminding him about the rules and regulations of the navy. Her father had to be restrained by her oldest brother and uncle to keep him from physically attacking Lee.

Her uncle reminded her father that Lee was still a Fire Nation officer and attacking him, even if well warranted, could start an international incident.

"Then just take him out of my sight!" her father growled. The officers holding Lee apologized for his discretion, but not did not silence Lee.

"Akya!" he called, giving her a hopeful look. "You never answered my question!"

She wanted to cry. "Yes!" she called out as she fought her brothers' grips. "A thousand times, yes!"

He smiled. "Then, I'll be back for you!"

"Swear to me you'll return," she breathed as she dug her fingers into her brother's arm, still fighting them. Lee was pulled back, further away, though unable to stop smiling at her words.

"I swear it!" he promised as his fellow shipmates told him they had to leave and to let her go. "Wait for me! I will return to you!"

* * *

**House of Pakku, Northern Water Tribe - Present**

"Katara!" Her name pierced her senses and suddenly, she could feel the cold, arctic air breaching her thinner indoor garments and whipping against the exposed flesh of her hands and face. Her eyes widened and she could see the man several paces in front of her, with his hands held up and his face twisted with concern.

"Katara, snap out of it!" another voice said behind her. She could feel someone's arms around her, keeping her own arms pinned to her sides and seemingly holding her back. "Wake up!"

"Aang?" Katara had stopped struggling against him, as if all the strength she had just moments earlier vanished the second they tumbled out the front door.

At the sound of her confused voice, Zuko lowered his arms and squinted his eyes. She blinked and looked around, unsure how she had gotten outside. "Katara? Are you back?" Aang asked behind her. His grip loosened, but wasn't ready to release her yet, not after what had happened.

"What's going on?" the waterbender wheezed as she shuddered in the cold. "I was just...I was inside..." She turned around, wedging herself out of Aang's hold to look at her grandfather's house. She could see their footprints on the freshly fallen snow. They weren't clean, either. There had been a struggle. She looked down at her clothes. Traces of snow were still packed against the blue fabric. She snapped her head around. Snow had melted and created dark, wet stains against Zuko's clothes. Her eyes crinkled up. "What's going on?" She looked from Aang, who looked to have been in his sleepwear, to Zuko, who's shirt had been tugged open. "What are we doing outside?"

"I should be asking you!" the firebender suddenly scowled. "You came into my room and started..." His face reddened. "You just started to talk non-sense and attacking me!"

"I...what!?" Katara choked. She wracked her head. That wasn't what happened, was it? She would've remembered that.

"Are you drunk?" Zuko demanded. "What in spirit's name happened up there!?" he added, waving one hand back at the house.

Katara remained looking at a loss. Aang furrowed his brows and lifted a hand to rub his chin. "This is weird..."

"You think?" Zuko snapped. "One minute I'm asking her how her thing with the princess went, then suddenly, she's undressing me-"

"I did no such thing!" Katara choked out, horrified as her face instantly heated and turned a rust color. She took a step back and shook her head. "I don't remember that at all!"

"How can you not remember it? It just happened!" Zuko's voice rose. He lifted his hands and motioned to his open tunic. "Who do you think tugged my belt-"

"I didn't-!"

"Pushed me on the bed-"

"No!" Every fiber of her being burned with embarrassment.

"And did this!?" Zuko pointed to a small, red spot on the base of his neck and Katara couldn't feel the cold air any longer.

Aang stepped in between the two. "Alright, guys, calm down," he said as he lifted his hands to try to calm both of them. "Something's wrong here-"

"Clearly!" Zuko growled.

"Zuko," Aang frowned. He motioned one hand to Katara. "I'm serious. Something's really wrong. Both you and I know Katara wouldn't do something like that normally and she doesn't seem to remember any of it."

Gold eyes darted back to the brown-haired woman. Katara's hands were covering her mouth and nose as her eyes dampened. They were narrowed, her brows furrowed, as she tried in vain to remember what had happened. She had gotten back, opened the door...then what? Her shoulders began to shake.  _Then what!?_

Zuko narrowed his eyes and took another step forward. "Katara," he said in a low voice. She didn't answer. She was far too lost in her own thoughts. Did she have some sort of blackout? "Katara."

She snapped her head up and met his eyes with ashamed ones. "I'm sorry," she wheezed as she shook her head. "Zuko, I'm so sorry," she choked out. "I don't...I don't know what happened, but I didn't mean to. I assaulted you," she whimpered as she shook her head. "Zuko, I'm so,  _so_  sorry."

She was going to cry. The moist eyes, the tremble in her voice, the way she was shrinking back from them. Zuko silently swore. Stranger things have happened since they met, but this was a first. "You weren't yourself," he tried to excuse her. "Let's just find out what happened."

"I'm so sorry."

"I know," he asserted, his voice sharper than he would've liked. He inwardly winced as Katara looked away, ashamed.

"It's way too cold out here," Aang piped, trying to ease the tension. "Let's go back inside," he urged. "I'll put some tea on and we can figure out what happened." Both Katara and Zuko nodded. Aang placed a hand on Katara's shoulder and gently turned her back to the house. They began to head back, when the waterbender stopped. Aang felt her shoulder tense and glanced down. "Katara?"

She was staring straight ahead, her eyes fixed on the doorway they had stumbled out of. "No," she said in a breathless voice. "I can't go inside. She's waiting for me."

Both men looked at her unsurely. Aang narrowed his eyes. " _Who_  is waiting for you?"

A pair of blue eyes were looking back at Katara's. Hands were placed against the front of the door as if trying to get out, but unable to set foot past the threshold.

"That woman," Katara answered. She had come back and closed the door. The dead woman was waiting for her. Katara had tried to communicate with her. There was a fast movement and suddenly, Katara found herself back outside without her overcoat, seemingly after a frantic firebender. Her eyes widened. "She's after Zuko."

"What?" The said man stiffened behind them. "Who?"

"That ghost who was watching him bathe?" Aang asked, somewhat surprised. Katara nodded.

"She wants Zuko so she...," Katara shifted awkwardly. She lowered her head and shook it. "I can't go back. She might try again."

"It's your house," Zuko frowned. "You can't let some dead woman scare you off!"

"What if she comes at me again to get to you?" Katara snapped as she shot him a glare. "I'm not going to risk it!"

"Then where are you going to go?" he demanded. Katara shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself.

"I'll go back to Yue's," she asserted. "She wanted me to stay over tonight, anyway. I'm certain she'll let me stay the night or however long this takes."

"Katara, that's a long walk back," Aang frowned. "And you're not dressed for the trek."

"Go inside and get her overcoat," Zuko ordered as he began tugging his long sleeved tunic off. "Here," he said as he held it out. "Put this on."

"Zuko, put it on," Katara frowned as Aang nodded and rushed past them to back inside and get something warmer for her. "It's too cold. You can't go-"

"I'm a firebender," he asserted as he held out the tunic. "I can keep myself warm for a bit longer."

Katara hesitated. She reached out and took the cloth from his extended hand. "I am very sorry," she said quietly.

"It's not your fault," he replied. "You were taken advantage of, too."

Katara held his tunic in her hand. "Did I hurt you?" she asked as she lifted her eyes and met his.

Gold ones flickered away. "I was just surprised," he answered. "I didn't know what was going on. You were acting strange. I had to keep you away, so I'm sorry if I was too forceful." A small, guilty part of him hoped she wouldn't remember. He had grabbed her arms and held her at arms length as he tried to talk sense into her. He had shoved her back as gingerly as he could under the circumstances before he darted to the door, screaming for Aang to help him. Who would've thought that Katara of all people would be the one he felt unfairly helpless against.

Of course, that had all happened after he dumbfoundedly stood there and allowed her to untie his belt and move her lips against his, trailing down his jaw, and down the side of his neck until he momentarily forgot that Katara was acting odd.

She put his tunic on and tied it closed slowly. "I didn't wake up?"

"We tried yelling your name," he continued, still avoiding her eyes. "Regardless of what we said, you just kept calling me Lee and following me. When Aang tried to restrain you inside, you nearly slammed him against a wall using waterbending."

Katara paled. "No..." She looked back into the house and mentally made a note to apologize to him, too. Had the ghost woman not had been standing at the doorway, she would've gone back in to do so.

"You were a completely different person," Zuko concluded. "You wouldn't even answer to your own name."

Her chest rose and fell with heavy, unsteady breaths. "I think I was," she whispered. Zuko lifted his head and narrowed his eyes. "Lee sounds familiar," Katara continued, staring at the doorway.

Zuko glanced at the door, as if expecting to see what Katara saw. "That woman...is that who she's looking for?"

Katara's eyes crinkled. "No," she replied quietly as Aang seemed to rush right through the ghost woman while holding her overcoat. "I think she's waiting for him."

* * *

"Has it been awkward?" Yue asked as she sat across from Katara. The brown-haired waterbender was pouring over naval records of past ships that had come to port at the Northern Water Tribe. Yue tried to be of help where she could, but had her hands full with official duties and concerns regarding her marriage. It became rare that she was able to meet with Katara in the scroll room of the main lodge.

"Awkward with what?" Katara muttered distractedly as she read through the names of ships and their crew members.

"With Zuko," Yue asked. "Aang says he's been very tense while at the house."

"A ghost is watching him," Katara said in a low voice. "Wouldn't you be tense to be constantly watched?"

A sad, solemn expression graced the princess's face. "I don't need a ghost to feel that way," she pointed out softly.

Katara lifted her head and gave Yue a small, apologetic nod. "Sorry."

"No," Yue said. "I'm the one who asked." She looked down at the page of the scroll she had been given. "I wish we could ask the elders for help. They may be of of more assistance on the records."

"They also wouldn't believe the situation," Katara replied, somewhat irritated. Her memory was a bit clouded, but she could still remember how upset her grandfather had been the first time she had gone with them to the Northern Tribe and tried to get help for her 'gift'. Master Pakku had been so frustrated and embittered by the other elders' dismissal at his granddaughter's situation, that he never sought help from them again - for anything. Katara supposed that rubbed off on her.

"But to think that you were possessed," Yue gushed, finding great interest in it. "And of a woman still pining over her lost lover." Her cheeks flushed just a bit. "What were the chances that you'd bring a firebender with you?"

Katara ignored that. To her, there was nothing romantic about having your body stolen away and forced to do something you wouldn't do. Worse yet, to someone she respected and trusted. It was humiliating and, while Zuko had forgiven her, she hadn't forgiven herself. The shame she felt when she saw Zuko the last few days had led her to avoiding him.

It wasn't too difficult. She hadn't returned to her grandfather's house since that night, for fear of repeating the event. Aang and Zuko had remained, but Zuko had taken to leaving the house when he could. He refused to go back unless he had to. He would not be alone in the house with a dead woman who thought he was her missing lover.

"I need to put her to rest," Katara insisted. "I need to find a way to show her that he's not coming back."

Yue looked saddened by that. "When you say it like that, it's very sad," she admitted. "You died, waiting for him...lingered on for years, still clinging to the hope that he'd return, only to find out that he'd never come back."

"She needs closure, Yue," Katara sighed. "She needs to know." She lifted her eyes and met her friend's. She took note of Yue's disappointed expression. "If she can rest, her spirit can move on. Maybe in the Spirit World, they will meet again."

Yue looked up hopefully. "Is that a possibility?"

Katara nodded and smiled softly. "I hope so," she said. "This may be more personal, as this woman is family, and despite what she did, I do want her to find peace. I wouldn't want to spend eternity waiting for the man I love to return."

Yue smiled slightly and tilted her head. "But would you?"

The waterbender furrowed her brows, unsure how to answer. "Katara, are you in here?" a familiar voice called from outside the doors. The heavy, wooden barriers creaked open and from the part, a man with black hair stuck his head in. "There you are," Zuko asserted as he pushed the door open further. "I thought you'd be hungry, so I brought you lunch. Are sea prunes alright? Yue, there is plenty; you're welcome to have some, as well."

Katara refused to look at Yue, who she knew was smiling from ear to ear. She sighed and gave him a small nod. "Thanks, Zuko."

"Anything to keep me out of the house," the black-haired man said as he placed the heavy, leather bag on the table. He began to open the flaps and go through the items. "Any luck finding out who that Lee guy is?"

"In the dock logs, there are several, but going from what I remember from her thoughts when she possessed me, I narrowed it down to a naval officer. That leaves us with five from five different ships," Katara sighed tiredly.

"What about time period?" Yue asked.

"All the same time period," Katara frowned. She scowled at the papers spread around them. "Is Lee that popular of a name?"

"Yes," Zuko replied. He paced a bowl in front of Katara with a spoon in it. "Was there anything else about him? His rank or position on the ship? Maybe the name of the ship?"

Katara pursed her lips. "I don't recall..." Her eyes widened. "But he was from a noble family. I distinctly remember that."

Yue clapped her hands together. "That's something! Zuko, maybe you can identify which one comes from a noble family through their surname," she suggested hopefully. Zuko paused in the middle of uncapping a canister where the stew was kept.

"I can give it a try," he said as he looked down and twisted the top open and began to pour some into Katara's bowl.

"We have a Lee Shan," Katara began. Zuko shook his head. "Lee Liu." He shook his head once more. "Lee Wu."

"That's a noble family," Zuko said. The women brightened but he held up a hand to calm them. "But it's very common, if not tradition, for members of the nobility and royalty to send sons to join the military. He may not be the only one. What about the other two?"

Katara looked back at her notes. "Lee Han and Lee Chang-Wong."

"The Han family is an old noble line, but so are the Changs and the Wongs," Zuko muttered.

"That's still narrowed it down to three Lees," Yue offered. "Maybe we can find out what happened to their ships."

"Lee Wu was aboard the naval vessel Ming Li, a first class royal battleship. Lee Han was aboard the naval vessel Jeong III, a first class royal carrier, and Lee Chang-Wong was aboard the battle cruiser Hana II."

"Hana II?" Zuko looked up from where he had finished pouring Yue some stew.

"You've heard of it?" she asked as she tugged off her gloves to eat.

Zuko nodded and slowly capped the cannister. "Hana II was under Admiral Sun." He was one of his mother's grandfathers. "Right before the war Souzin started, the fleet was called back to regroup. Admiral Sun was told of the plans to invade the Air Nomad lands, but he refused. His ship was branded a traitor and sunk before they even left Northern Water Tribe waters." His eyes narrowed. "I heard it happened at night, while most of the crew was asleep. No one survived."

This time, Yue looked interested. "My grandmother told me that a Fire Nation ship had sunk back then, just off our shores. She said it hit an iceberg."

"An iceberg," Zuko could taste the bitterness in his mouth. "That's a convenient excuse."

Katara looked from Zuko to Yue and nodded. "Right," she circled the name on her papers. "Then that's him. Lt. Lee Chang-Wong, who left and  _couldn't_  come back." She took a deep breath. "Then this poses a problem. How do we tell her that he's gone? That the reason he never came back was because he couldn't?"

Zuko rubbed his chin. "I don't know..."

"Perhaps we should seek advice from the Avatar," Yue offered. "He may be able to provide insight."

"He's still at the meeting with the elders, though," Katara released a heavy breath. She blew across her stew to cool it. "We can try to catch him before he leaves."

"I can go wait," Zuko volunteered. "It's not as if I have anything to do and I'd rather not go back to the house."

Katara nodded. "Thanks. If we come up with anything else, we'll let you know." Zuko nodded and headed outside.

"You know," Yue said as soon as the firebender had left. "Zuko really dotes on you."

"He's just worried," Katara dismissed.

"I'm sure that's just one of the reasons," Yue beamed. "I mean, he did decide to join you on your travels."

"They're Aang's travels," Katara stressed.

"True," Yue paused as she began rolling up the scrolls. "But I'm sure the Avatar wasn't the only reason he came along."

* * *

She recalled Aang's words that morning on the air bison, as they watched the sunset and he asked both her and Zuko to join him on his travels. There was much for her to learn and experience, he had told her. In the past few weeks, she had. Still, there was much more out there and it was as if every experience she had with the dead was a new one. Zuko, on the other hand... She was just glad he decided to come. She never would've gotten that far without his support.

Katara leaned over the side of canal and lifted her hand, moving the water surrounding a struggling young man. As he rose, still struggling in the icy water, she extended her gloved hand over the low wall to him.

"I can't help but wonder what your story was," she said quietly as she felt warmth through her glove. Weeks earlier, she would've panicked in such presence. The young man grasped her hand for a moment their eyes met. "I'm sorry it took so long for me to try to save you."

He bowed his head to her and closed his eyes, allowing his body to disappear before her. Who knew how many years, maybe even centuries, he had been waiting for someone to save him. Katara crinkled her eyes as she lowered her hand. That had been the seventh spirit she had aided in the city. It may have been a subconscious thing, but she found herself going to places where she vaguely remembered there being spirits.

Several of them were drowning victims and it wasn't surprising. Without any waterbenders nearby to help, if one slipped and tumbled into the freezing water of the canal, that was it. She found that sometimes, there wasn't something that the earthbound spirit was still tied to. Sometimes, they were trapped because they they were waiting, just like the boy who she had seen drowning as a child.

Maybe that counted as the spirit not knowing they were dead. Katara furrowed her brows and continued walking towards her grandfather's house. She was certain that Zuko was still out and that was necessary for her if she was going to return and try to find out more about the ghost there.

She reached the street and could see the house ahead. She had instructed Yue to tell Zuko and Aang that was going and to wait outside for her until she came out if they decided to go to the house. By her estimates, Aang was still at a meeting with the elders and as such, Zuko would be waiting.

This would give her an ample amount of time to investigate the ghost, which she hoped would lead her figuring out how to put her spirit to rest.

Katara stopped in front of the house. She took a deep breath and braced herself as she unlocked the door and pushed it open.

"Hello!?" she called out loudly, just incase one of her two travel mates had made an unscheduled return. When there was no answer, Katara took another deep breath, exhaled, and stepped through the threshold.

Her muscles tightened and she readied herself for another possession. Nothing happened. Katara narrowed her eyes and glanced around the seemingly empty ground floor. There was no woman waiting for her, but the two younger spirits were lingering in the lower level, as was common.

Quietly, Katara closed the door behind her and carefully crept up the stairs. Every so often, she looked behind her.

She went through the kitchen, checked the dining room, bathrooms, and even the waterbending service lift, but couldn't find that woman's spirit. She'd always been around and she scratched her head, confused, as she made it to the floor where her room was. As she stopped in front of her door and reached for the handle, she turned around and looked at the door to Zuko's room.

Her hand wrapped around the door handle before she even knew what she was doing. Completely forgetting that it was  _Zuko's_  room, she pushed the door open and peered inside. The door creaked open and that was where Katara found her.

She wasn't sure if she should've been surprised or irritated or even disturbed. The woman was laying across Zuko's bed, eyes closed. Katara's eyes narrowed. Was this some sort of sick perversion? First, the ghost had followed and probably watched Zuko bathe, and now she was sleeping in his bed?

Katara's hands fisted. Did the ghost sleep with Zuko? Had she done anything to him? "If you did anything to him...," the waterbender couldn't help the threat coming from her. The spirit laying across the bed didn't move.

Katara moved closer, suddenly determined to get rid of her. "Wake up!" Katara demanded. When the spirit didn't respond, she grew even more irritated. "Don't you dare ignore me now, after what you did!" Katara snapped. "Wake up!"

A pair of blue eyes snapped open. Katara opened her mouth to demand that the spirit get off the bed, but didn't have time to get her words out. The figure moved quickly, just as she had days earlier. The last thing Katara remembered was feeling the air knocked out of her lungs before she fell forward, onto Zuko's bed.

* * *

Aang told him that the meeting was currently going nowhere and, aside from 'dying of boredom', not to wait for him. He'd meet up with them later that night, after the meeting was over for the day.

Zuko had nodded and returned to the library to tell the two water tribe daughters Aang's state, but found their area vacated. The books and scrolls they had been reviewing were still strewn about the tables and he assumed that they were taking a break, but after a while, neither returned.

He wracked his brain to figure out where they were, but nothing came to him. After all, Katara had spent so much time the last few days in the library, digging through all the information she could find almost obsessively. Part of him blamed himself; the ghost wanted him and was affecting Katara because of it. Worse, there was nothing he could do to help.

He ran his hand through his hair before tugging the hood of his outer coat over his head. Frustrated didn't begin to describe how he felt. He had resorted to buying meals and running errands for Katara and Aang to at least feel useful. Silently, he hoped that wasn't what Katara had in mind when she said she hoped he'd come with them.

Still, he was being given lodging and had been provided clothes. He had no real qualms with helping. Compared to how hard Aang and Katara were working, the least he could do was go the market to try to get dinner for those two. He dug into his pocket to make sure that the money Aang had given him to cover getting them food was with him.

He stopped as he moved his gloved hand around his pocket. Frowning, he lifted the hand and tugged off the glove, before diving it into his pocket once more. He felt the key to the house, but not the animal skin pouch where the money was kept. Zuko whirled around, wondering if he had dropped it, when he remembered he had cleaned out his pockets the night before.

An exasperated sigh escaped his lips. "It's on the shelf," he grumbled to himself. Wonderful. Now, he had to trudge back to the house, which aside from having a lingering spirit who was 'infatuated' with him, was also in the opposite direction of the market. Still, he couldn't buy food without money and began the walk back.

As he went down the now familiar steps that lead down the multiple tiers of the city, he passed several small transport boats. He wrinkled his nose and lifted his hands to his mouth, blowing some hot air into them. If he had money, he'd just use one of the shuttle boats, as was common for the tribesmen. It was faster to go down the canals by boat and then on to the main canal, which Katara's grandfather's house sat alongside of, than walk the distance in the snow - hard packed or not.

Envious, he glanced over at the boat stop, where people queued up to take the boats lined along the canal. He climbed over a bridge, catching a glimpse of the main canal not too far off and frowned.

He'd recognize those trespassing waterbenders anywhere. Hangok and his little friends were going somewhere. Had they been anyone else, Zuko wouldn't have gotten suspicious. The main canal did lead towards a series of locks that emptied into the bay. It was like a promenade of sorts and used by many.

However, to his knowledge, Hangok and his friends were aristocratic elite. They weren't fishermen or hunters, so they had no reason to go to the bay. They were waterbenders and their training took place higher up in the city and in the outskirts, on the tundra.

The firebender quickened his speed. Perhaps it was just him being paranoid, but he doubted they were going to go out into the open water. They must've had another reason and one of them had to be visiting the house again. He may have foiled their attempts last time, but he wouldn't put it past them to try again.

After all, while it was still day, no one was likely to be home.

* * *

She was staring at the ceiling and had memorized every aspect of the wooden beams above her. She was so tired and could hardly move. Akya had hoped that her meager protest would let her family know she was serious about her devotion to Lee, but no one was taking her seriously.

Perhaps someone would if they were allowed to speak to her. Her brothers and father had dragged her home and locked her in her room. Everyone in the house, from servants to family, were prohibited from speaking to her. If they were going to ostracize her like that, so be it. She didn't want to speak to them, anyway. Especially her father, who had immediately gone off to hammer out the marriage details between her and someone else's son.

Fury had filled her. She would refuse anyone else. She had someone she was in love with, someone who loved her, and no one else would do. To show her defiance, she refused to eat. Two days had passed before her father finally stormed into her room and yelled at her for acting as such.

When she refused to speak to him, he raised his hands against her and Akya said nothing. She was tossed around like a lifeless doll and didn't even care to push herself up. Eventually, her father stopped and ordered her brothers to 'fix' their sister, as he had arranged for her to be married in a month's time.

"If we have to drag you to the ceremony, Akya, we will," her father warned dangerously. Her brothers tried to reason with her.

"Akya," the eldest had told her. "Please eat something. Anything!"

If she gave in, her father would simply see it as a weakness and she refused. She would not be used as another pawn for her father. She would not be married off and betray Lee. She had lost count of how many days had passed. Her body had grown steadily weaker until she found herself in bed, barely able to move.

"She refuses all the food we've given her," she heard her mother telling the healer. Her door was open and her parents were standing outside with the best healer in the city. She hadn't eaten for days and could barely move now. "She won't take a bite. She won't even drink! She is wasting away!"

"Akya," her brother remained at her side. "Please," he pleaded as he grasped her hand. "Eat something. Anything!"

"I have fire flakes for you," her sister added hopefully as she held up a small wooden bowl with the imported food. She looked hopeful. "Father and our brothers searched the dock's traders to procure some. We know how much you like it."

Akya couldn't even turn her head. The healer had finally been called in to check on the bedridden young woman starving herself. However, part of her knew it was too late. If the choice was to marry against her will and betray Lee, or die, then she would rather die.

"What!?" her father's voice filled the room and her siblings who had gathered around her turned towards the door. Their mother had paled several shades and their father looked as if someone had given him a blow to the stomach.

"No...," her mother choked out. She was crying. "No, that can't be."

"Her body couldn't handle it as she denied it of nourishment," the healer told them sadly. "If we had known earlier, further steps could've been taken and the baby would've survived." Her eyes widened.

The baby? What were they talking about? She and Lee had only...

"Akya," her brother said from her side, looking down at her with a haunted expression. "Did you know you were pregnant?"

Pregnant? She didn't know. Tears blinded her vision.  _She didn't know_.

It was her fault. She had been selfish and now what would've been someone to link her to her beloved was gone. The overwhelming emotion hit her and her breathing became shallow. No... Akya wanted to cry out. No, not yet. Not yet, she had to tell him. She had to tell him and apologize for not being able to save their baby!

"Akya!?" someone was shouting. "Akya! Stay awake!"

"Father, call the healer!"

"Akya!"

The next thing Katara saw confused her at first. It took her a moment to recognize the interior of the house that had changed from Akya's time. She recognized the covered furniture and found herself drifting to the lower level.

" _What about the bags?"_  a familiar voice sounded. She saw the door to the dock open and a male figure fill the doorway.

 _"There's a waterbending powered lift. I'll pile them in there and then bend it up to the main room."_ That was  _her_  voice.  _"Go! It's too cold for you to be out here in just that."_

 _"Alright, alright."_  She could make out the man's features now and Katara felt her heart leap to her throat.

Aside from Zuko's scar, he looked like Lee. Even as she acknowledged this, Katara could hear another voice in her head, one that sounded ecstatic. "He's come back! He's come back like he promised!" Then, her heart inexplicably sank. " _I need to tell him."_

Slowly, her vision darkened and Katara opened her eyes. The familiar ceiling from the memory she had been bombarded with was above her and she turned her head.

Her eyes widened as she shot up looked around. A worn bag was on top of a desk, a pair of black, scuffed leather boots was beside it. Katara scrambled up and turned around. Zuko's formerly neatly made bed now had a Katara-shaped indent. She flushed as she bent down to try to straighten it out before he got there and could ask her what she was doing  _laying on his bed_.

Her movements slowed. On that woman's bed...where she had died, regretting not being able to tell her lover what had happened.

As she tugged on the blanket and came to a stop, she heard a loud crash downstairs. She stood up straight and turned around, her brows knitting together as she abandoned the bed and rushed out the door.

"I knew you'd try to sneak back here!" She flew down the stairs. Zuko was home? Didn't he get her message? "Agh!"

"Zuko!?" Katara jumped off the last step and raced through the living quarters. His voice and the noises were coming from the storage area.

"I warned you before, firebender! This is a tribal matter!" She saw the light from fire bounce off the walls as she reached the stairs leading down. She heard the familiar sound of water followed by a pained grunt.

"Hangok, there isn't anything here!" someone shouted.

Zuko pushed himself up from where he had fallen after being shoved back against a wall. He narrowed his eyes and slid his foot back, reverting to a fighting position. "If you're looking for Master Yugoda's belongings, they're long gone," Zuko scowled. "They were sent away before you even got back to your master's side that day."

Hangok scowled and twisted his body, bringing in water from the canal outside the doors rushing into the lower level of the house and freezing them into large ice spears to send flying at Zuko. The firebender jumped and rolled out of the way, sending blast of fire towards him.

"You two! Check upstairs!" Hangok ordered the two young men behind him. "The Avatar is at a meeting and Yue is with that bender who doesn't know her place," he growled. "It should be clear!"

The two nodded and darted past, towards the stairs. Zuko turned to try to stop them only to feel his wrist twist awkwardly to the side. "Ah! What the-"

His eyes turned back to the other bender. Hangok hold out his hands, his eyes narrowed as he seemed to put all his focus on controlling the appendage. "You should've stayed out of it, firebender. Now, I'll have to take care of you."

Zuko grimaced, trying to fight and regain control of his wrist. "So, this is bloodbending," he said, dripping with fury. "That's what you used on me the first time you tried to break in."

"It's not a common ability. Only the most talented waterbenders can do this, and even then, they need the moon to help them," Hangok sneered.

Zuko smirked. "So this is the best you can do at the moment, huh? Twist my wrist?" He felt a sharp pain as it was twisted further.

"Did you know that not many people can focus when they're in pain? Some people just can't handle it," Hangok informed him coolly. "All I need to do is make it hurt enough."

Zuko's smirk never left his lips. "I don't think you know how high my tolerance for pain actually goes."

Katara heard a pained yell be cut off quickly as she dragged the two would-be burglars to the side. They were slumped together, knocked unconscious as soon as they entered the living quarters. Katara had hoped that the ice balls she had knocked them with didn't leave permanent damage and had quickly done a healing procedure to check. When she was satisfied that nothing was broken before she went to help Zuko.

The yell made her jump to her feet. "Zuko!" she shouted as she ran down the stairs, nearly slipping twice in her fervor. She stumbled down the last few steps as she saw the firebender leaning against a now cracked, wooden support beam, cradling a hand was hanging awkwardly in place. Pain was written across his face as across from him, Hangok was on his hands and knees, gasping for air as a scorch mark seemed to cover one side of his body.

"Katara!" No one else was supposed to be home. "Katara, what - agh!" His eyes rolled back as he screamed, his already abused hand shoved back against his arm by an unseen force.

Her eyes darted to Hangok with fury. "Don't you dare touch him!" That wasn't what she wanted to say.

A moment later, Hangok was lifted to his feet, his limbs hanging in odd positions before a body of water slammed into his chest and sent him into the wall. His eyes went wide and rolled back as a gurgle came from his mouth.

Zuko's eyes were wide as he forced himself to his feet. "Katara!" he shouted. Hangok was lifted up once more and pounded against the wall with stream after stream of water. His head and and shoulders lurched forward with each violent hit and Zuko shook his head. "Katara, stop!"

She felt a pressure grab on to her right arm and suddenly she was pulled back. She snapped her head back and narrowed her eyes as the two she had knocked out leaned against the wall, halfway down the stairs.

"Hangok!" one of they shouted. "She's a bloodbender, too!"

Blood was spit out of their leader's mouth as Hangok swayed into a standing position. His arms hung in front of him as he tried to focus on Katara. "Should've known you'd find those letters," he choked out. "Where are they?"

"What letters?" the young woman hissed.

"The bloodbending letters!" Hangok shouted. "I know you know where they are!"

"I know no such thing!"

He glared. "I always hated you," he hissed. He lifted his arms and Katara could feel her body moving at another's whim. "You think you're such an amazing bender! Master Pakku was shameless in teaching you!"

"I don't know who this Master Pakku is, but I should thank him," a low voice came from the woman. "Of all the bodies I've ever been in, hers is the most powerful." Hangok yelled as he was brought to his his knees. A wicked smile graced Katara's face.

"Hangok!" She heard movement behind her and raised her other arm, stopping the two other benders in their place.

"Attacking my beloved Lee," she added, earning her a wide-eyed look of horror from Zuko. "I will not forgive you for such a trespass."

She'd kill them, he realized. That wasn't Katara in control of her body. "Stop!" he shouted. He ran forward. "Katara, wake up! Snap out of it!"

The female waterbender narrowed her eyes and moved her arms.

"Katara!" another voice shouted from the open doors to the dock.

"No!" His arms flew around her as he slammed into her, knocking her over and pushing her outside. Several men jumped out of the way as they fell across the dock.

"Zuko! Katara!" Aang sounded frantic. "What's wrong? Are you guys okay!?" Neither answered as he hovered over them. The other men he was with rushed into the house and began yelling.

"Hangok! Surak! Tanro! What is the meaning of this!?" another voice shouted.

"Soldiers! Arrest everyone! No one is to leave until we find out what happened!"

"Katara?" Zuko breathed as he opened his eyes. She was laying beside him, her arms tossed in front of her as her body shook. His eyes crinkled up worriedly. "Katara!?"

"I...," she wheezed. "I almost..." Her eyes were shut tight. Beside her, Zuko felt his body relax. She was back. He let out a heavy breath as he closed his eyes and pressed his face against the back of her head.

"It's alright," he whispered as he wrapped an arm around her. "It's over."

Aang frowned as he noticed the firebender's injury. "Zuko, your wrist," he began. He knelt down beside them. "We need to get that looked at."

"Later," Zuko said in a low voice as his arm tightened around Katara. He couldn't feel the pain right now, anyway. He met Aang's eyes defiantly. "It can wait."

Aang frowned. "Avatar," someone called behind him. He turned around and stood up, standing in front of his two friends protectively as Chief Arnook had three young men placed in front of him. Soldiers flanked each of them and behind them, two furious looking master benders. "You are correct," Master Susuk frowned as he lowered his head shamefully. "Our pupils have been practicing a forbidden art."

"How did they know about it to begin with?" Aang asked carefully. He eyed Hangok, the most beaten up of the three.

"It is my fault, Avatar Aang," Master Hoarak admitted. "Hangok must've found some notes in my study."

"Notes?" Aang frowned.

Hoarak seemed to draw his head back. "When I was a student, I had stumbled upon the late Master Yugoda and another waterbender talking about bloodbending. I heard enough to understand the basis and had tried to apply it."

Aang frowned more so. "Are you practioner?"

"I am unable to bloodbend," Hoarak admitted. "I've been trying, but even under a full moon, I cannot reach such a level."

"But one of your pupils could...and without the moon as their aid," Arnook frowned. "You should know that as a master, the art has been deemed forbidden for a reason."

"I am aware, Chief Arnook."

"You are also aware that your students will need to face severe punishments for practicing it on others," he stated. "Soldiers, take them away. We will try them with the council tomorrow morning."

Aang helped Zuko stand before kneeling down and picking up Katara. He prepared to take her back inside, but Zuko stopped him. "Aang, can we take her back to the lodge?" he said in a low voice. "She wasn't... _herself_  inside." The Avatar looked down at the drained, now-sleeping woman and nodded.

"I see," he acknowledged. He looked at Zuko carefully. "It happened again?"

"Unfortunately," the black-haired man replied. He lowered his good hand over her head and brushed back her face. "Take her somewhere safe, Aang."

"Alright," the Avatar nodded. "But we need to get you to a healer, too. If she wakes up and you're hurt, she'd never forgive herself."

* * *

"They can still waterbend," Yue said as she sat beside Katara. "But their abilities had been diminished." The two were sitting on a bench on the princess's boat, huddled together with a shared blanket as the boat made its way down the long canal. "I didn't know the Avatar was capable of doing that."

Katara was silent. She lowered her eyes and inhaled the cold air. It had been a long week for everyone.

Hangok and his two companions had been tried and found guilty of actively and aggressively using bloodbending - a secret forbidden art style that had been banned by both tribes. While not stripped completely of their bending, as Aang was concerned about the mental implications that could've arisen, their bending abilities were weakened by the Avatar and they were not to speak of the true reason why.

The two masters involved, especially Hoarak had given up his position, feeling that he had failed to properly guide his students. Katara was identified with the ability, but as she showed restraint and did not purposely attack others - it was in self defense Zuko had fervently argued - she was allowed to keep all her bending.

However, now the elders knew who carried that knowledge and would keep a close eye on her.

All of that had happened quickly and she barely had time to wrap her head around what was going on. Aside from the bloodbending, there was still the issue of the ghost who possessed her. She had returned to Yue's once more and had scarcely left the chief's home since she was taken there, due to the trial and a fever.

"I'm just glad he only took away part of their bending," Katara admitted. "And not all of it."

Yue looked somewhat surprised. "I think that out of everyone, you would've been the one advocating stripping them of their bending the most."

"They were wrong and hurt Zuko and me, but when you're a bender and you have it suddenly taken from you, it's like you're not whole," Katara tried to explain. "It's something you've had your entire life and is a part of you. Someone took away a piece of your body and you're missing something. Aang was right," she conceded. "Taking away their bending would've done them more harm than good."

Yue nodded and looked up. They turned the corner, into the main canal, and could make out Katara's grandfather's house in the distance.

"Are you sure you want to spend the last night at the house?" she asked hesitantly . "That ghost must still be there, you know."

"I know." Katara could make out the online of the house against the full moon. One more night at her grandfather's ancestral house and then she, Aang, and Zuko would leave the Northern Water Tribe. "But this needs to be done so she can move on."

The white-haired princess smiled at her friend softly. "What did Zuko say?"

"I explained to him earlier," Katara lowered her eyes once more. She had spoken to him on one of his many visits to her bedside. The last possession had given her a slight fever for a while and when she wasn't at the trail, she was in bed. The fever had passed the other day and she was finally able to get her thoughts together. "He agreed."

Yue chuckled quietly. "He's a good man, Katara."

"I know." The boat came to a stop at the dock and the boatman tossed the ropes up before jumping out and tying the boat securely to the dock. He bended it upwards and Yue and Katara disembarked.

They tilted their heads up and saw that the lights in the upper levels of the house. Aang and Zuko should've been there already, having spent that afternoon preparing for their trip.

"I'll go get them," Yue told her as Katara slipped her the key. "Don't go inside!"

"I know," Katara smiled sadly. She watched as Yue unlocked the door and rushed in. She turned around and took a deep breath. She had told Zuko why the ghost was lingering. On the upside, they didn't need to prove to her that her lover had died not a few hours after they parted. On the downside, the reason was still heartbreaking.

"Katara." He heard her voice behind her and turned back around. Yue and Aang were behind Zuko, who was tugging his outer coat over his stomach. "Ready?"

"Yes," she nodded as she exhaled deeply. She marched towards them. Yue waited outside as Aang stepped back inside.

"Alright," he said. "Places everyone!"

"Is she here?" Yue asked as she glanced through the doorway.

Katara nodded and eyed the woman who was standing in the threshold, her hands trying to get through the invisible barrier that held her in. "Remember," Katara said as Zuko stopped in front of the doorway and waited for her to step through. "If I start to do anything out of the ordinary or if she refuses to tell Zuko, Aang needs to push me outside."

"Got it!" Aang dutifully saluted her.

"Good luck!" Yue urged.

Katara took another deep breath and stepped through the doors. Cautiously, Zuko followed her in. They made it three steps before Katara suddenly stiffened in front of him. She stopped in mid step and he instinctively took a step back.

"Lee?" she looked over her shoulder.

"Akya," he replied, trying to keep calm. Her face lit up and she turned around and reached for him.

"I've missed you!" She hugged him. Zuko awkwardly hugged her back.

"I missed you, too," he answered stupidly. The first part of Katara's plan seemed to have gone through. Now, they just needed the spirit to say her piece.

"I knew you'd come back," she cooed as her hands cupped his face.

Zuko was tense. He looked over Katara's head, to where Aang was urging him to play along. He grimaced. "...I - hey!" He stepped back, quickly putting his arms between him and Katara before she could kiss him again.

"Zuko, the door!" Yue warned. He nodded. If he stepped out too far, Katara would send up outside and the possession would be over before anything could be cleared up.

"What's wrong?" the woman in front of him asked. Her face looked hurt. "Are you upset with me?"

"No!" Zuko insisted immediately. He shook his head. "I just..." He wracked his mind to try to come up an answer. Finally, he dropped his head. "Akya, isn't there something you want to tell me?" He might as well go the direct route - delicacy had never really been his forte.

"Tell you?" she asked, looking confused.

Zuko silently prayed that Katara wasn't wrong. "About...you know...something important?" She continued to look confused.

"Don't rush her!" Aang whispered from the side. Zuko shot him a glare.

"We don't have time to waste!" Zuko snapped.

"Lee?" the woman tried to draw his attention back to her. Zuko swallowed and looked back at her, meeting her blue eyes with his.

"Akya, you've waited a long time," he told her as gently as possible. "I was worried about you. Did your family treat you alright? I know they were angry."

"Father was furious," she said as her hands gripped the front of his coat and she buried her face against his chest. "He immediately went off to marry me to a stranger! But love you!" she insisted. "I wouldn't marry someone else."

Even though it wasn't really about him, Zuko felt a little flattered. "Did you tell them?"

"I tried," she scowled. "No one would listen to me, so I stopped. I refused to talk. I refused to eat-"

"You stopped eating?" Zuko frowned. "Why?" he asked as he placed his hands on her shoulders and forced her to look at him. "That's dangerous! You'll only hurt yourself! You could die!" Her eyes suddenly widened and Zuko could almost see the spark of a memory within them. Her face paled and her trembling hands lowered from his coat as her face turned away from him. This was it. "Akya?" Zuko called out again.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was almost unheard.

"What?" he urged.

Her eyes watered as her lips shook. "I'm sorry," she choked out as she stepped back. "I lost our baby!"

Aang and Yue waited to see if the possession would stop now that the ghost had confessed. She had told 'Lee' what had happened. That's what needed to be said, right? Instead, their friend remained standing for Zuko, choking on her tears.

The crying and mumbled apologies filled the room as Katara stood in place, rubbing her eyes and sobbing guilty. If only she had taken care of her body. If only she had known that she was pregnant, then maybe she wouldn't have lost their child.

Yue peered into the room and Aang shifted uncomfortably. "I don't understand," Yue whispered. "She's told him! That's what she wanted, right?" Aang wondered if this counted as an oddity and whether or not he should step in and take Katara outside.

Before either bystander could act, Zuko took a step forward. He closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around the woman, pressing her crying face against the crook of his neck as he leaned his head against hers.

"It's not your fault." Zuko told whispered against her hair. "It was an accident."

"I'm so sorry..."

"I know," he replied. "And I'm sorry for having left you alone. For having to leave." He rocked her against him slowly, his now healed hand stroking her back. "It's alright, Akya." He sounded just as he did when he was comforting Katara. Maybe it was because the spirit was in her body, or maybe it was because he knew what the spirit wanted. "It's alright." Reassurance.

Slowly, the tears stopped and the crying died down. The rocking motion came to a still and the woman lifted her head. A small, pained smile graced her lips. "Thank you." She leaned upwards.

Aang's eyes widened and Yue out a gasped, covering her mouth with her hands as she watched Zuko lower his head and graze his lips over Katara's, accepting the kiss without question. A warm breath brushed over his lips as a pair of blue eyes looked up at him, still watery and red, but surprised. She tilted her head up and met his once more.

"Oh my...," Yue murmured, watching curiously as Katara's arms wrapped around him and kept him close. The prince's eyes were closed as he mirrored the waterbender's motions. They stood there for a moment longer before her lips suddenly became unresponsive. She slumped forward, going almost limp against him as he shifted back to catch her. "Is she alright!?" Yue gasped as she rushed inside.

"I think she fell asleep," Aang said. "The strain was heavy this time," he asserted as Zuko swept an arm under Katara's knees and lifted her up. "I don't sense that presence any more. I think we're good."

"I'll take her up to her room to sleep," Zuko said.

"Are you sure she'll be fine?" Yue asked worriedly. Aang nodded.

"Don't worry, Princess. She's just tired. After a good night's sleep, she'll be good," he assured her. "And I doubt she'll be possessed by that spirit again."

Zuko reached the living quarters and turned towards the stairs that led to the upper floors. As he began climbing, he felt her head move against him.

"Thank you, Zuko," she mumbled weakly.

He tilted his head down and kissed the top of her head. "You're welcome."

* * *

Yue clutched her good-bye present to her friend in her lap as she neared the dock to Pakku's house. She could see a large, fluffy air bison lazily waiting in the water as Zuko tossed bag after bag onto the saddle.

"Good morning!" she greeted as her boat reached the dock.

"Good morning, Princess," Zuko greeted with a bow of his head from the top of the saddle. "Katara and Aang are inside. She's getting something from the lift."

Yue nodded as she stepped off the boat and made her way through the door. "You're welcome," Katara's voice reached her ears. Yue turned to the side and watched as Katara knelt down and smiled. Her eyes went wide as she watched a worn, wet stuffed toy seem to disappear in Katara's hands.

A sharp gasp escaped her and Aang looked up. He smiled and gave her a wave. "The little girl was trying to get her toy," he explaining. "The boy was a household servant and he had drowned while trying to save her when she went after it."

"I see," Yue nodded wondrously as Katara stood up and smiled. "My sister, you are amazing."

"I was just glad to have figured it out before we left. No wonder they were always close by the lift," Katara said as she bended any remaining water from her hands and reached for Yue. "Thank you for coming to see us off."

"Even though so many things have happened, I still feel it has been much too short," Yue insisted. "I've brought you a good-bye present."

"You didn't have to!" Katara insisted. "I didn't even bring you anything when I arrived."

"You brought me your company and that was more than enough," Yue assured her. She held out her package and smiled. "It is some new hair beads and pins."

"Thank you!" Katara gushed as she opened the package and beamed. "They're lovely!" Yue chuckled as they embranced.

"I'm glad you like them," she said. "The same artisan who crafted my wedding hair clasps made them."

"Katara, we need to go!" Zuko called from the dock.

"I know!" she called back. She carefully put her present in her pocket and slipped her arm around Yue's. "As I will be traveling with the Avatar, I don't know if we'll be able to attend your wedding."

"It will not be for another year or so," Yue informed her confidently as they walked outside. Zuko closed the door behind them and locked it securely. "Hahn will be spending more time with my father to learn the intricacies of ruling before we are married. It is a condition we have all agreed upon."

"That's a relief," Katara said with a small laugh. She looked at Yue and smiled. "The tribe is lucky to have you as a princess."

"The world is lucky to have you," Yue smiled back. "I will send the invitation out when it is time," the princess told her as they stopped by the edge of the dock. Aang was already on top of Appa, waiting for Katara and Zuko to climb on board. The two young women grasped each others' hands and faced each other. "You must extend me the same favor when you wed."

"You say it so confidently, as if you are certain I will," Katara chuckled as she closed her eyes and leaned forward, placing her forehead against Yue's.

"My sister, you will," Yue said. "I can feel it."

"How can you be sure?" Katara said as she smiled. The two drew their heads back and looked at each other.

"Because last night, after he kissed the spirit," Yue said as she squeezed Katara's hand. "It was  _you_  who kissed him back, wasn't it?"

Her face turned to rust and Zuko let out a heavy sigh from the saddle. "How long is this going to take?"

"They're bonding, Zuko," Aang beamed. "Who knows when they'll see each other next." Yue stepped away from a dumbfounded Katara.

"Finally," Zuko said. "Katara!" He called from the saddle. "Let's go!" He extended his hand over the edge and grasped Katara's, pulling her up with ease.

"Is everyone ready?" Aang asked.

"Yes!"

"Yes..."

"Appa! Yip, yip!" The beast moved forward and began to raise into the air. Yue remained on the dock, waving as she watched them ascend.

Katara waved back and saw Zuko lean over from the corner of her eye and their give host princess a respectful bow of his head. "So, we're back to the Earth Kingdom after this," he said as he drew back. "Ba Sing Se. You wouldn't happen to know the Emperor, too, would you?"

"Kuei?" Katara asked, thankful that he didn't ask why her face was flushed. "Not as well as I know Yue and Uncle Arnook."

Zuko raised a brow. "You know him by his first time."

"My grandfather used to bring me with him on trips there," she sighed. "Political dealings and what not. Usually, Sokka goes to the Earth Kingdom, so he's on better terms with the Emperor as far as an ambassador from the Southern Tribe goes."

"Then you acted with an envoy to the Air Temples?" Zuko asked, recalling her familiarity there.

Katara shook her head. "No, but I did spend a lot of time in the Fire Nation these last few years," she said. She tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes slightly. That reminded her... "I've spent a lot of time with Princess Azula." The name caused the firebender to tense behind her. "She was really angry when we first met and really didn't like seeing me with Sokka."

Zuko grimaced. Azula always did get jealous easily. "Why?"

"Because he's my brother," Katara said, looking over her shoulder at him. "And I could understand why. Sokka and I were always together, but around that time, Azula had lost her own brother." Her face softened. "And she really missed. him."

"Did she now," Zuko asked distractedly. Katara nodded. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the side of the saddle.

"Yes," she said sternly. "So, I hope you visit her soon."


	8. Chapter Eight

"What?" He looked up and met a pair of blue eyes looking directly at him. He raised an eyebrow and looked at her curiously, as if sincerely confused by her question. "You want me to visit  _who_?"

"Your sister," Katara answered easily. The serious look on her face didn't vanish as she waited for his answer.

Zuko cocked his head to the side. He'd been through this before; someone would recognize him and ask what he was doing there, in the Earth Kingdom, dressed as a commoner. He'd deny his heritage, insisting that people have pointed it out before, but it was only a case of mistaken identity. He wasn't the prince they thought he was.

He had grown accustomed to rebuking the inquiries of curious travelers and the like who may have noticed the Fire Nation man in the Earth Kingdom. Zuko almost had his usual rebuttle scripted. Lying about himself silenced the questions and diverted the looks. Very few knew who he actually was and that was the way he wanted to keep it.

Eventually, he had planned to tell Katara. He'd sit her down, apologize, and tell her the truth about himself when the time was right, whenever that was.

In light of the events of the past few days, he didn't think that the time he'd have to tell her would come so soon.

"What do you mean?" The words weren't what he had wanted to come out and he inwardly grimaced. Years of lying to hide his identity took over and he couldn't seem to stop himself, even if it was in front of Katara.

Her eyes narrowed. "You're not going to tell me," she frowned. Her voice was a mixture of disappointment and irritation.

"There isn't anything to tell," he answered automatically. Again, he was displeased with his answer. This was  _Katara_  who was asking. There was no reason for him to deny it.

A moment of silence settled between the two as her gaze bore into him. "You're going to deny it?"

"No." Finally, something truthful. "I just don't want to talk about it." Yet. He didn't want to talk about it,  _yet_. "It's complicated," he asserted as he turned his head away. "I'd rather not get into it."

He waited for her to glare at him. He readied himself for cold words and an annoyed look before she pressed him for further details. Zuko could see her mouth opening and braced himself.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" she asked seriously.

"I did plan to," he asserted, surprised at how serious he sounded. He took it a step further. "I didn't lie, Katara."

This time she frowned. "I never said you were lying. You were just hiding something," she spat out. "Which, to some extent, is almost the same thing."

Zuko's eyes narrowed. "It isn't the same thing," he said in a low voice.

"You were still hiding something."

"I didn't exactly have an ideal moment to inform you of my background!" he countered, his voice quickly raising.

"We've been together several weeks now," Katara reminded him sharply. "Almost every waking moment, we've been  _together_ ," she added. "Can you honestly say that at no point since we left the Southern Air Temple, you saw it fit to tell me that you're a prince!?"

"I told you, it's complicated!" Zuko yelled. It was confusing, frustrating, and shaming all at the same time. He didn't make a habit of telling everyone his life story. He didn't want their sympathy or looks of pity. He most certainly did not want Katara's.

"It's not about it being complicated!" Katara shouted back. "It's about you not trusting me enough to tell me!"

"Katara," Aang called from the head of the bison. Zuko looked past Katara as she looked over her shoulder. Both had forgotten that Aang was there. The two other benders stared at the Avatar's back for a moment before he spoke once more. "It's still early. Why don't you two get some sleep? It'll be awhile before we reach the Earth Kingdom."

It was a careful order for them to stop and Zuko wasn't sure if he was thankful or not. He turned his eyes back to Katara. The female waterbender seemed to take a deep breath, trying to calm herself before nodding and reaching for her carefully packed blanket.

"Good idea," she said instead. Her voice still shook with some fury. "I should get some rest while I can."

Aang seemed to nod. "You, too, Zuko," he said. "When we reach Earth Kingdom shores, we'll take a rest and then switch before heading to the Northern Air Temple on the way to Ba Sing Se."

Zuko nodded, trying to clear his head. Katara's last accusation stung.

Trust her? After everything, he trusted her more than he had anyone else in the last few years of his life. She was where he found himself seeking solace with; whom he could be himself with. She was comfortable and calming to someone like him.

Trust, he asserted to himself, was a heavy concept, but it suddenly did not seem like a strong enough term to describe what he felt was between them.

Silently, Zuko turned to pull out his own blanket, only to find that Katara had already unfolded it and set up their makeshift sleep spots against the side of the saddle, as she usually did. He opened his mouth to thank her, only to have Katara shove another blanket in his arms while keeping her eyes diverted from his. His mouth snapped shut and he remained back, allowing Katara to settle in first.

He could almost taste her irritation in the air and wondered what he would've said had Aang not interrupted them. Would he have blurted out his stance on their friendship? That he more than trusted her? Would that have made things worse?

As Katara wrapped the blanket around her and closed her eyes, Zuko dared to take a his spot beside her. He took a seat against the saddle and adjusted his blanket around his shoulders. He lifted his arm and hesitated. Usually, he'd wrap part of his blanket around her, too, but this time, she was frowning.

Zuko silently debated on his course of action and silently chided himself. She was upset with him, but he wasn't angry at her. If he couldn't exactly tell her, he could show it. If she didn't want him near her, she would simply pull away and  _then_  he could wallow in her rejection; however, he wouldn't know unless he tried. The banished son took a deep breath of his own and moved his arm around her shoulders.

The waterbender tensed and he froze, his arms lingering just above her shoulders, waiting for his rejection to be confirmed. Then, without a word, Katara relaxed. She didn't shove him or pull away, and Zuko felt relief.

"How'd you find out?" he asked quietly. His arm rested gently on her shoulder. His heart quickened with surprised when she leaned into him, just as she normally would. He adjusted his body and cradled her against him before closing the blanket over their bodies.

"Yue mentioned you knew nobles when we were in the library that day," Katara replied, keeping her eyes closed as she whispered her answer. "I asked how you'd know and she panicked."

"I see...," Zuko furrowed his brows. One hand ran down her upper arm subconsciously as she leaned against him and tilted her body, allowing one of her arms to rest over his stomach. "She told you everything?"

"Just who you were and how she recognized you," Katara answered as she relished the heat from his body. It was welcomed when flying above the Arctic. She quickly wondered if all firebenders were that warm. "Yue isn't good at keeping secrets."

The corner of his lips curled up slightly. "I didn't know that."

"Zuko," she asked quietly. Her head was resting against his shoulder and her eyes had opened. He felt her hand clench the front of his coat. "Why didn't you tell me?"

For a while, he didn't answer. "I don't know," he answered solemnly. "I didn't think it was all that important at the moment." He paused and looked down at her. "Is it?"

Katara found herself mulling over his question. Would knowing have changed her perception of him? Would that have changed anything? Would he have come with her if she had known?

She bit her lower lip and tilted her head up to meet his eyes. "Yes," she answered softly. She closed her eyes and buried it against him. "And no."

Zuko stared down at her a moment longer before tightening his hold. He lowered his head and kissed the top of her head. "I can't tell you everything right now," he told her quietly. "But if you're wondering: yes." He closed his eyes. "I did miss Azula."

* * *

She hadn't brought it up his past or asked why he hadn't told her since they had fallen asleep on the sky bison. Zuko was certain that she had thought about it more than once and wasn't sure why she wasn't prying further. The truth was out now; anyone in their right mind would've been more curious. Numerous times, when there was silence between them, he had wanted to ask why she wasn't asking.

Even when they finally reached the Northern Air Temple to take a break before continuing to Ba Sing Se, she hadn't mentioned anything about him being a prince. It was as if knowing was enough for her.

Zuko lifted his free hand from the bucket of cabbages he was carrying out to feed Appa and rubbed the side of his head. Part of him seemed to wish she would bring up his past again, just so he could tell her, but if she was waiting for him to do so willingly, she would have some time to wait.

"You understand the concerns we have for you, Katara," a monk's voice was heard through the partially open door as Zuko passed it in the hall. Upon hearing her name, he turned his head towards the door and stopped. "A city like Ba Sing Se is old and with quite a history. There are many things you will see."

"I understand," Zuko heard her say as confidently as she could. "While I have not yet been exposed to the magnitude of spirits in such a concentrated area before, I feel that I should at least go and see for myself. I cannot avoid Ba Sing Se forever."

"Please understand that Katara is not going in order to force her to become used to her abilities immediately. What we want to do is slowly expose her to the concentrated environment little by little," Aang added. "When out in the city, Katara will be escorted by either myself or Zuko should the spirits overwhelm her; however, it's been decided that Katara will start in the Upper Tier."

"I understand that this is a necessary course of action for Katara, Avatar Aang; however, in the condensed streets of Ba Sing Se, it may not simply be overwhelming, but physically and emotionally draining for Katara. Except in particular situations, where you know that there are no living beings other than yourselves present, Katara cannot yet differentiate between the living and the dead," one older monk pointed out. "Not immediately, at least, in a crowded setting."

"That is reason for much concern for Katara's safety, as well as those around her," another monk pointed out.

"That is something we are keeping in mind," Aang argued respectfully. "We will take all the precautions we can and, for the most part, Katara and Zuko will be assisting me in the Upper Tier, where it is the least congested."

"We've discussed our concerns extensively regarding Ba Sing Se," Katara added. "And I feel that, as someone who plans to join in international politics later, I need to be exposed to such an environment, especially if I am to grow accustomed to it."

Zuko continued to linger by the door, listening as he furrowed his brows. The older monks seemed to pause to contemplate Katara's situation.

"Very well," one of the monks agreed. "We will open up the library for you to research further for the rest of your stay here. Should there be any scrolls or books you find particularly useful, please let us know and we will allow you to remove it from the collection to be returned at another time."

Zuko almost heard Aang and Katara let out sighs of relief before the Avatar spoke once more. "Thank you," he said. Zuko peeked into the room and saw them bowing to each other.

"Monk Sangrit will take Katara to the library," one of the older monks informed them. "Will you be joining us, Avatar Aang?"

"In a moment," Aang said. "I need to check on Appa."

Zuko looked down at the bucket of cabbages he was supposed to be bring to Appa and quickly continued down the hall, hoping to beat Aang to the feeding area. His swiftness paid off, as Aang appeared just as Zuko finished calling Appa down for his snack. The sky bison landed expertly in front of him and opened his mouth. The scarred man recognized the movement easily and tried to take a step back.

"Appa, no!" It was too late. Zuko could only grit his teeth and shut his eyes as the animal's rough tongue licked his face affectionately. "Ugh..."

"Looks like he likes you!" Aang laughed as he came down some steps.

"He's just thanking me because I brought him a treat," Zuko sighed. He looked over at Aang as the Avatar reached him. "How did the meeting go? Are they letting you look through the library?" he asked casually.

Aang nodded. "Yep!" he beamed as Appa began to devour his snack. "Katara's there with one of the monks right now. I'll join them in a bit, but wanted to let you know in case you were wondering where we went."

"Thanks..."

"No problem. If we're not there for dinner, don't worry. We'll have someone bring us the meal," the young Avatar assured him.

"Aang," Zuko began seriously. "Are you absolutely sure about bringing Katara to Ba Sing Se?"

The bald-headed man furrowed his brows. "Well...yeah. Why wouldn't I? You know we're scheduled to meet with the Earth King in a week."

"You know why," Zuko pressed as his lips tightened into a line. "A big, crowded city...a big crowded  _old_ city..."

Aang lowered his head and released a heavy breath. "When we were back in the Northern Water Tribe and I told Katara where we were to go next, I asked if she'd rather stay at a small village nearby or on one of the resort islands on Laogai while I finished up my work with the Earth King." He lifted his head and met Zuko's eyes seriously. "I have the same worries as you, Zuko."

The black-haired man grit his teeth. "And she insisted on going?"

"You  _know_  she'd insist on going," Aang pointed out as he moved towards Appa. "I can't force her to stay away, either. I know she needs to be exposed to this just as much as she knows."

"I can't help but be concerned about what may happen," Zuko admitted solemnly.

"That it may be a repeat of what happened in that village with the colony ruins?" Aang asked quietly.

Zuko kept his eyes on the eating sky bison and nodded. "Ba Sing Se is old. It's been through a lot."

"With its fortifications, including the wall, I doubt anything like that has happened, especially in such a large scale, within the city," Aang pointed out.

Zuko narrowed his eyes. He look over his shoulder and met Aang's gaze. "Hundreds of years of questionable deaths may have occurred within the walls of Ba Sing Se and you mean to tell me that they won't be as overwhelming as a battle field?" he asked dully. "That city rests on ancient ruins, Aang. Things have been happening there since ancient times and we'd be fools to believe that no one died without a regret in Ba Sing Se. We don't know what is there that only Katara will see."

The Avatar took a deep breath and exhaled, nodding in agreement. "She cannot hide from it, Zuko. As her friends, we can only support and encourage her as she learns to handle her gift."

"I know." Zuko grit his teeth. He turned around and started heading back to the main hall. "But if I have to physically cover Katara's eyes to keep her sane, I will do so," the banished prince told the Avatar. "I'll do whatever I can for Katara."

Aang pursed his lips and furrowed his brows thoughtfully as Zuko left the bucket by a doorway and turned into the hall. He took another deep breath and exhaled as he reached over and stroked the side of Appa's head.

"He doesn't seem to think about hiding it," Aang piped aloud. The sky bison let out a snort, shook his head, and continued eating. Aang seemed to nod in agreement. "I wonder if they know that they appear more than just friends to everyone else."

* * *

"You have to keep going, mam," a train station attendant told them as he directed them down the long platform of the newly built train station. "The car numbers are in numerical order."

"Will someone be checking our tickets upon boarding?" Zuko asked. The attendant shook his head.

"No, sir. One of the on-board attendants will come by, cabin by cabin, to check your ticket once the train is moving, as we've already checked it once you reached the platform," he replied.

"Wonderful," Katara nodded. "Thank you for your help."

"I hope you and your husband have a good trip, mam." The attendant bowed his head and Zuko opened his mouth to correct him.

"I'm not...," he trailed off as Katara continued to walk away, unphased by the comment. Sighing, he quickly went after her. "Katara! Didn't you hear what that man called us?"

"Yes, and I'm tired of having to correct everyone," she said, dismissing it completely. "Half the people don't believe me anyway."

Zuko frowned and slowed behind her. She had a point. Even when they were with Aang, the Avatar's two friends were referred to as 'the husband and wife'. The inn they had stayed in the night before had even given him and Katara the key to the same room. They didn't realize it until they found themselves standing in front of the same door. Aang had to switch keys with Katara so she could get the single room.

Merchants who were lined up along the outside of the train station had urged him to buy something for his 'pretty young wife' and while in line to buy tickets, the elderly woman behind them asked how long they had been married. At some point, Katara had given up correcting them.

Zuko wondered if that was how they looked to outside eyes.

"I hope that Aang remembers that we're supposed meet him in car 15, cabin eight," Katara said as she looked at the piece of paper Aang had given her. The Avatar had gone to secure Appa in a separate train car for their overnight ride across the desert, to the shores of Lake Laogai, where they'd then fly across, into Ba Sing Se. Katara lowered her hand and squinted. "That's at the back of the train."

"It's close to where the animals and cargo are held," Zuko said as he walked ahead of her, taking note of each train car number on the way. He was carrying both his and Aang's pack while Katara had hers. "He probably wanted to be close to Appa."

Katara nodded. "Well, after how far he's taken us, Appa deserves a break. For once, he can be carried around rather than do the carrying," she chuckled.

"I'd still prefer to be on him than on some piece of moving stone," Zuko frowned as they stopped in front of a door on the car marked with the characters for 15. "Are we even sure this thing is safe?"

Katara rolled her eyes behind him and pushed him forward. "It's fine. Aang says he's tried it before and it's pretty smooth. They have a bunch of highly trained earthbenders moving the train and they alternate, so it's non-stop and they don't succomb to fatigue."

Zuko eyed the massive stone cars. Inside, the furnishings were made of a much lighter wood to keep the car light enough, so as not to strain the earthbenders moving them. It was a long distance version of the train system in Ba Sing Se and the Earth King had marked it as one of his goals: to help connect the massive city to the rest of the kingdom.

There were many other people taking the train to the capital, mostly those who could afford the somewhat lavishness of a train instead of a multi-day long caravan through the desert. Numerous wealthy Earth Kingdom citizens, a few tourists, a handful of merchants, and all their goods.

Zuko hesitantly climbed into the train car after Katara and followed her down the narrow corridor to their overnight cabin. As she double checked the cabin number and then fiddled with the door, Zuko glanced out the window.

"It does look familiar, doesn't he?" he heard someone's voice point out. He looked through the open window and nearly stumbled back against the wall. A half dozen or so men and women were in Fire Nation robes, most likely nobles on vacation judging from their attendants with them, and they were looking back at him. One daring old man raised his arm and stepped forward. "Excuse me -"

Zuko didn't wait for him to finish. Katara had managed to open the door and as soon as it slid open, Zuko wedged himself past her and took the seat furthest away from the hall. Katara's lips pursed into a frown.

"Allow me to get out of your way, Zuko," she snorted sarcastically.

"Sorry," he muttered, fidgeting as Katara shrugged off her back. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Are you alright?" she asked as she shoved her bag to the side. She reached across and tugged at the bags Zuko was still carrying. Distracted, he allowed her to pull them off and move them aside.

"I'm fine," he said curtly. He needed to be careful on that train. "I'm just not used to being...in this...," he said lamely.

Katara sighed. "Nothing is going to happen, Zuko. It's perfectly safe," she assured him. "Aang said he's even taken it before."

"It's like I'm riding in a stone crate and that's just odd and unnatural," Zuko added as he avoided her eyes. Katara didn't seem to pry and shook her head as she piled their bags against the wall. She turned around, slid the door closed, and took a seat beside him.

"If anyone should be jumpy on this train, it's me," she pointed out. He looked over at her and raised a brow.

"It's new, Katara. I doubt there are any lingering spirits here," he pointed out.

"But we'll be crossing the desert," Katara pointed out as she motioned one hand towards the window beside him. "The tracks follow an old caravan route that's well mapped. Things have happened  _out there_."

Zuko's eyes drifted from her, to the open window, and back. "Have you already seen them?" he asked.

Katara was quiet at first. "In the distance, I saw caravans," she said. She lifted her head and met his gaze. "This caravan path is no longer used. Aang said to prevent accidents, this route has been banned for use of foot traffic and all caravans go through the other, more popular routes now."

"But you still saw them?" Zuko pressed solemnly.

"You know if they're there, I would," she answered, trying to make light of it, but failing. Her eyes lowered sadly. "They're going to keep going, Zuko. Everyday and everynight," she said quietly. "Until they reach Ba Sing Se."

He rose from his seat. Zuko stepped towards the window and slid the wooden shutters closed, locking the little metal latch in place to keep them from flying open. Katara lifted her head and watched him as he did so.

"I've heard stories about processions of ghosts," he said as he lingered by the window. "They move in the direction where they had wanted to go in life, not realizing that they're already dead. Or that they'll never get to their destination."

Katara nodded once more. Her eyes crinkled up. "Everywhere, there are spirits like that," she said. "I know I can't help all of them, Zuko, but it still hurts. I can't do anything for them."

"You do what you can," he said as he turned around. He returned to his seat beside her and put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to comfort her. She leaned into him and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Katara," he began carefully. "Are you sure you'll be alright in Ba Sing Se?"

She nodded as she leaned against him. "I may not be able to help all the spirits I see, but I need to be exposed to them. I'm still unable to completely tell the difference at first glance. This is an opportunity I can't pass over."

"If you're certain," he conceded. "However, don't push yourself. If it gets too difficult -"

"Zuko," Katara lifted her head up and smiled slightly. "You worry too much."

His face softened as he looked down at her. That may have been true, but honestly: how could he not worry about her?

"You're just very important to me," he whispered as his hand rose and cupped the side of her face. He could feel her warm skin grow warmer at his touch as her eyes widened. "I think I should be allowed to worry."

Her heart tightened as her tongue slipped between her lips and licked them. Katara swallowed a nervous lump in her throat as she looked at the man beside her. "Zuko..." Her hand moved upwards, reaching for his face. "I -"

The door was thrown open and Zuko snapped his head up. Katara whirled around, jumping out her seat as a confused man with graying black hair stood by the door. From the looks of his clothing, he was traveling from the Fire Nation and most likely a wealthy merchant or tourist.

"Oh!" he gasped as he took a step back and looked at his ticket with a confused expression. "I'm afraid you may be in my cabin. Isn't this cabin six?"

Katara quickly tried to compose herself as she shook her head and took a step forward. "I believe this is cabin eight, sir," she said as she pulled her ticket from her sleeve. Zuko turned his head away, avoiding looking at the Fire Nation man. Katara walked towards the cabin door, getting in the middle-aged man's way as she moved to confirm their cabin number. "Yes, this is cabin eight. Your cabin should be two doors that way," she said as she glanced down the hall.

"Ah, I see, I see, thank you," the man chuckled as he bowed to her. "My apologies for intruding on you and your..." He trailed off as he looked past Katara and into the cabin.

Zuko kept his head turned, silently wishing he had left the window shutters open so that he could have an excuse to stare at something. Katara furrowed her brows and looked from the man to Zuko and back.

"Is there a problem, sir?" she asked curiously.

"No, no...," the man muttered distractedly. He squinted. "Yen Mei," he said suddenly, calling to the woman who seemed to be his wife standing a few paces from him. She tilted her head to the side curiously. "Come here a moment."

"What is it, husband?" the well-dressed woman said as she moved across the narrow walkway. The man stepped back and motioned to the open cabin door.

"Does he look familiar?" he asked his wife.

Katara's eyes widened. The woman peered into the room, narrowing her eyes as Zuko seemed to try to find anything to look at in order to avoid turning his head and meeting their gaze. He  _knew_  he was being recognized.

"Come to think of it," the older woman mused aloud. "He does look somewhat familiar. Like a young Prince Ozai."

"Yes! That's who he reminds me of!" The man seemed pleased. "I heard that his son was trekking through the Earth Kingdom." He looked at his wife earnestly. "Perhaps we have found him."

Zuko closed his eyes and silently swore. He didn't want to have to deal with this again, especially in front of Katara. He grit his teeth and turned around, ready to deny his background when Katara moved in front of the doorway, blocking the Fire Nation couple's view of the interior.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken," the blue-eyed bender smiled wryly. "That man is not the Fire Nation prince you speak of."

"Are you certain?" the other woman asked, trying to crane her neck to look over the brown-haired traveler. "He looks far too much like His Highness, Prince Ozai."

Katara never let her expression falter. "It is disappointing, I understand; however, this has happened numerous times already. You would not be the first to make the mistake. He is not a prince. Why, he'd hardly count as such with how he acts sometimes," she laughed. Zuko narrowed his eyes. What did she mean by that?

"And you are...?" the older woman asked.

"His wife," Katara answered easily. Zuko's eyes widened. His face immediately reddened. "As such, I know how often the mistake is made. It is actually somewhat bothersome to my poor husband. People often insist that he's a prince, but I assure you, he is not. I am commoner, you know. I highly doubt that a man of the prince's ranking would marry a common woman," she added. "No doubt, he has a beautiful, noble fiancee waiting for him back home."

The woman opened her mouth to ask more questions, but her husband chuckled and shook his head. He reached for Katara's hand and gave it a small squeeze. "Now, young lady, do not say such things. A good woman like you, who'd show such care of her husband, is worthy of any prince."

Her cheeks reddened and, unlike her earlier words and expression, it wasn't forced. "Thank you, sir."

"It was our mistake. We thought we'd sighted a celebrity," he laughed. "I'll leave you two to your cabin." He withdrew his hand and began to usher his wife away. "Our apologies for bothering you."

"Thank you for understanding, sir, madam." As they walked down the hall, Katara bowed her head, keeping it lowered until she heard their cabin door open and close. Once it did, she let out a heavy breath of relief and slipped back into the room. She grinned as she stood up straight and closed the door behind her. "How'd I do?" she asked. "A plausible story, yes?"

His wife. Zuko could only stare at her. She had said she was his wife for his sake. "I..."

"Are you alright?" Katara frowned as she moved forward. She extended her hand to reach for his head. "Your face is red. Did they upset you that much?"

Her cool palm rested against his heated forehead and she could've sworn it grew hotter under her touch. Zuko pulled his head away and batted her hands aside. "I'm fine, Katara," he insisted. "I was just caught off guard."

"I didn't expect Fire Nation citizens, either," Katara answered out loud as she fell back into her seat beside him. She turned her head towards him. "Do you...," she trailed off. Katara looked back at her hands on her lap. No, she wouldn't ask him. She had told herself she wouldn't pry any further.

His past was his own and she had no right to pry if it made him uncomfortable and he didn't want to speak of it. If and when Zuko wanted to tell her about himself, about what had happened to bring him where he was today, then he would and and she would listen. Until then, she would give him his space and respect his wishes.

"Thank you," he said behind her quietly. "This doesn't happen too often, but I found that enroute to large commercial centers, like Ba Sing Se, Gaoling, or Omashu, I tend to run into a lot of Fire Nation merchants. It's been a few years, but I suppose I'm still recognizable." He lifted his hand and moved it over the scar across his left eye. "I'm sure this is a tell-tale sign."

Katara fell silent beside him. In truth, she didn't know how he got his scar and it never felt appropriate to ask. She bit her lips.

She wanted to ask. She wanted to ask about his scar, his resemblance to his father, why he left. Azula once told her that he had gone on a trip with their cousin, but then decided to stay. Something told her that wasn't really the case.

However, she didn't want to force it out of him. She had her own reasons for not wanting to tell everyone she met about her vision. It was something she never spoke about, even when it was sealed. It was troublesome to do so.

The silence filled the cabin and Katara shifted awkwardly, trying to in find something to say to distract them. "I hope Aang doesn't get lost."

"I'm sure he'll find us before the we leave the station," Zuko assured her. A loud whistle came from outside and a conductor outside yelled that the training was about to depart and it was the last call for passengers. Katara's dull eyes turned to him knowingly. Zuko grimaced. "It's not like we're leaving him behind. I'm sure he's on the train. He's the Avatar, after all. He's perfectly responsible..." He trailed off.

Aang was the Avatar, but he was still a teenager who occasionally got sidetracked. For a moment, Zuko wondered if Aang had gone back to the platform to look for them. He had seemed distracted with putting Appa in the animal carriage earlier. Perhaps he didn't hear Katara tell him what car or cabin they were in.

Zuko lifted his head and turned to Katara. The two seemed to share a knowing look before Zuko rose to his feet. "I'll check the animal carriage."

"I'll see if I can find personnel to call for Aang," Katara added as he helped her up.

Another whistle was blown and the train jerked forward. A yelp escaped Katara's lips as she was pushed forward roughly, slamming into Zuko, before bouncing backwards and tumbling back against the seat bench.

Katara's arms flew down to brace herself against the seats as Zuko's hands moved over the sides of her head to keep himself from falling on top of her. The train continued to move forward and Katara hissed as her head hit the wooden panel.

"Are you alright?" Zuko asked worriedly above her.

"I'm fine. It's just a little...," Katara opened her eyes, allowing them to widen immediately as she looked at the face nearly touching hers. Her mouth snapped closed as Zuko looked over the top of her head with a concerned expression.

"Do you think you hit it too hard? You're not seeing double or anything are you?" he frowned.

She could feel his hot breath against her cheeks and felt them heating in response. "It's fine. I have a my hair in a bun and it cushioned the impact."

A pair of amber eyes moved down and met hers. "Are you sure?"

She could feel her heart beating quickly and her blood becoming intolerably hot. Zuko was looming in front of her, with his body close and his face even closer. Her eyes flickered over his face. All she had to do was tilt her head up slightly.

"Katara? Zuko? Are you guys in there?" The two froze in their spots as Aang slid the door open and looked inside. "I accidentally walked into the wrong cabin -" He stopped abruptly as he saw Katara on the bench with Zuko over her. "Ah," he lifted a hand and took a step back. "Sorry. I'll be back later."

Before he could slide the door closed once more, Zuko pushed himself away and stood up straight. "We were wondering what was taking you so long," he said as he frowned at the Avatar. "We thought you might've gone on to the platform and was left behind."

"Me?" Aang piped. "No, no, I just wanted to make sure Appa was okay. He's a few cars down. I had to get the train personnel to let him ride in one of the roofless cars so he could get some fresh air."

"Is he alright with riding on the train?" Katara asked a she shifted into an upright seated position and nonchalantly tried to straighten her clothes.

"He gets a little nervous," Aang told them. "But I'll keep going over to check on him and keep him company so he doesn't get too stressed."

Katara nodded and noticed that Aang hadn't set foot through the door . The Avatar remained standing in the hall, as if ready to leave once they gave him permission. Zuko rolled his eyes. "Are you going to come in or stand out there all day?"

"Oh, um...," Aang looked from one to the other and smiled weakly. "Are you guys...uh...done?"

"With what?" Zuko frowned.

"Nothing!" Aang smiled quickly and slipped into the room, taking his seat across from Katara and diverting his eyes. "Why are the shutters closed?"

"To keep out any dust and sand," Zuko answered expertly . He moved between them, towards the door. "I'm going to get something to eat from the dining car. Do you two want anything?"

"Nope, I still have some fruit in my bag," Aang said as he began to rummage through one of the packs the two older benders had brought onboard.

"I'm fine for now," Katara assured him. She furrowed her brows. "Zuko, are you sure you want to go out there? What if someone recognizes you?"

His hand lingered on the doorway for a brief moment before he looked over his shoulder and shook his head. "It's fine. It's still early. Most people don't go to the dining car until a meal time. I'll probably be able to grab something to eat and return before then, so long as it's open."

"If you're sure," Katara said quietly. Zuko slid open the door and stepped out before closing it behind him. Katara felt herself relax back against the seat bench. She lifted an arm and ran a hand down her face. She wasn't sure what she was more relieved about: his departure or that Aang had arrived before she did tilt her head up.

Aang peeled a fruit in his hands and looked at Katara curiously. From the way she was slumped back and flushed, he wondered if he had made the right decision returning at such a time. "Did you talk about it?" he asked suddenly.

Katara turned her eyes towards him and gave him a curious look. "About what?"

"Him being a prince," Aang replied before taking a bite of his food. He chewed on it thoughtfully and swallowed before continuing. "I know you said you don't want to ask him and would wait until he came to you, but if it's really bothering you, don't you think you should tell him?"

"I'll wait," she asserted. "He's done so much for me, Aang. I don't want to force him to tell me. It's not my place."

The corners of Aang's lips curled up in a slight smile. "You can at least tell him you'll wait, you know," he pointed out. "Every time Zuko sees you, he thinks you're going to ask. That kind of paranoia isn't good for anyone."

Katara chuckled slightly. She pushed herself up. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Where are you going?" Aang said as he pulled out another fruit.

"I'll go visit Appa," Katara said. She needed a distraction. "See how the big guy is doing."

"While you're there, make sure he eats all his melons," Aang instructed. Katara nodded and stepped outside.

* * *

A few months ago, much of what had consumed his mind, other than his own survival in a foreign land, was returning to the Fire Nation and finding out what exactly happened to his beloved mother. It was one of those things he thought about before he went to sleep and had nightmares of.

When he had first met Katara, that had been his first request of her - to help him discover the true circumstances behind the Fire Nation princess's death. He had hoped that as Katara learned to overcome her initial fears and handle the pressures her vision gave her, he would be able to coax her into returning to the Fire Nation with him to take on the mystery.

Then one thing after another happened. He saw how hard she worked and how troubled she would become. He saw how it affected her mind and played with her emotions. Katara was both weakened and strengthened by her 'gift', whether she admitted it or not and he admired her for that.

He took the cup of fire whiskey as he stood in the hall of the dining car, looking out one of the many open windows at the passing desert, and brought it to his lips. Part of him wondered when Katara had moved from 'person he could use' to a friend to...whatever she was to him now.

Zuko took another gulp of his drink. Behind their usual conversations and his concern that she would demand his background and then hate him for it, he wondered if he had grown too attached to her. In retrospect, perhaps the reason they were continuously mistaken as husband and wife was because it simply appeared that way, even when Aang was with them.

Zuko was the one who walked beside Katara. Zuko was the one who carried her to bed when she was tired. He was the one who brought her into his arms when she needed comfort and the one who constantly kissed her head and stroked her arms. She fit perfectly against him and they were in such sync and comfortable with each other that it shouldn't have surprised him that bystanders assumed they were involved romantically.

He narrowed his eyes and tossed back the rest of his drink. He was thinking foolishly.

Katara was simply comfortable with him, as he was with her and he could not read more into her actions. She did not have time to deal with such a relationship, anyway. Katara had more important things to deal with and after they had finished assisting Aang and he returned to the Fire Nation, he and Katara would part ways.

At the most, he'd see her during meetings with the Southern Water Tribe. He'd sit across the table from her, only half listening to his uncle or brother discuss various international matters with Tribe Elders, as he stared at her longingly and hoped that they could meet just once, if only briefly, that night. He'd send a messenger to her with a private note. They'd meet in a courtyard garden - the one with the turtle ducks, since it had a pond and a fountain and remained relatively cool even in the heat and humidity of the capital - where they'd stand across from each other, barely restraining their feelings as they wondered where life had taken them. Then, they'd suddenly run into each other's arms and spend a night together in reckless passion -

Zuko made a horrified face. "What am I thinking," he spat out as his eyes crinkled up. He looked down at the cup his hand and placed it on a nearby table, silently swearing it off for the time being. He lifted his hands and rubbed his fingers against his temples. The days of travel were wearing him down, he asserted. He pushed such thoughts out of his head. He'd never be able to meet Katara's eyes again.

"Excuse me, sir, we'd like to check your ticket." Zuko's head snapped up and turned towards the front of the car. Just beyond the counter, where several train personnel were serving guests drinks and snacks, two male attendants were coming to confirm ticket holders. They were stopped at one of the booths against the wall and Zuko automatically reached into his tunic to take out his ticket.

He froze. He turned around, keeping his back to the attendants, as he tugged his tunic open just a bit further to look for his ticket. Nothing.

His hands moved down his body, patting down the front of his clothes and the pockets in his pants for anything resembling a piece of paper, only to find he lacked any. His eyes crinkled up.

Katara had the tickets.

Swearing slightly, he took a deep breath and moved to exit the train car to get it from her.

"Excuse me, sir," a voice stopped him from behind. "May I check your ticket?"

He looked over his shoulder and gave them a small bow of apology. "One moment, sir. I need get it from my friend. She's holding all the tickets."

Zuko made a move to step back. "Sir, it was stated at the ticket counter that you must have your ticket with you at all times." Was it? He had been distracted, trying to balance several bags at once.

"I must've missed that," he admitted. "If you want, you can follow me. I just need to get it from my friend."

"I'm sorry, sir, but we'll need you to come with us," another attendant said as he appeared behind the first.

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "Let me assure you that I do have a ticket."

"We'll need to hold you until we check everyone in," the first attendant told him.

"Can I at least get my passport?" Zuko frowned as he took a step back. "I don't believe I should detained without at least getting my documentation in order. You are welcomed to escort me."

"I'm sorry, sir, but we will take you to the security car -"

"The security car?" Zuko scowled. "I haven't done anything wrong."

"Yes, and it would be best for you to keep it that way and come with us."

"It is a waste of time. It won't take me a few moments to fetch my papers and tickets -"

"Hung, call for additional security," the first attendant muttered. Zuko's eyes went wide.

"Wait a moment! I haven't done anything - wait!" A hand clamped on his arm and the first attendant pulled him forward. "Release me at once!"

"Please do not resist arrest."

"Arrest!?" Zuko choked out. How did it get to that point? He looked around for anyone to help him, but found everyone simply staring at him curiously. He grit his teeth and wedged his arm from the attendants.

"Sir!"

A small part of him asked why he was running when he hadn't done anything wrong. He practically flew through the car doors as he moved from one moving car to the other. Those who saw him running through the narrow hall hastily returned to their rooms to get out of his way.

Someone was shouting behind him, yelling at him to stop. Zuko didn't pay any attention. First he had to get back, then have Katara confirm his identity and present the ticket.

"Someone stop him!" Zuko snorted. Honestly, who was going to stop him in the middle of his run?

A large man stepped out of one of the cabins and Zuko's eyes widened. "The Boulder would like to request that you halt immediately, sir," the man told him calmly.

Zuko narrowed his eyes. He quickened his speed and tilted his body. A few gasps escaped the passengers watching as he ran against the wall, easily gaining enough altitude to jump over the large man and land flawlessly on the other side.

"I haven't done anything wrong!" Zuko found himself yelling as he continued running. He looked over his shoulder and mentally groaned.

Now the large man was after him as well. "Mr. Boulder, sir! Please do not use earthbending on the train! It will disrupt the movement!" an attendant called.

"The Boulder will catch up to him, not to worry, officers!"

Zuko silently cursed his choice to run. He darted through a set of doors and into the next car. Two more and he'd be at his. He dashed through one set and then another. He could see his cabin waiting for him.

"Katara!" he yelled as he grabbed the door and slid it open. His eyes widened.

"Hi, Zuko," Aang beamed. He lifted up a mangosteen. "Want some?"

Zuko's face fell. Aang was alone. "Where's Katara?"

"She went to see Appa," Aang replied. "Need something?"

Zuko inwardly groaned. "She has my ticket!" Without waiting, Zuko pushed himself from the doorway and rushed up the small corridor, to the doors at the other end, just as the men chasing him entered his car.

Aang furrowed his brows and leaned down, going through some papers Katara had left on her seat. Zuko's ticket was wedged with his passport.

Several footsteps thundered past the open door and Aang's eyes widened. "Oh...," he mumbled to himself. "That's why he needed the ticket."

The scarred, banished prince slammed the door shut behind him as he rushed into the open top car. A woman looked up from where she was brushing the side of a happily eating sky bison.

"Zuko?" she asked as she paused. She cocked her head to the side and gave him a curious look. "What's wrong? You're out of breath."

"Katara, do you have my ticket?" he asked as he rushed over. She lowered the large brush and shook her head. She reached into her tunic.

"All I have are  _my_  passport and ticket. Didn't you listen when we were at the ticket counter? We're to have the ticket with us at all times," she pointed out.

Zuko groaned and tilted his head back. "Well, where is mine?"

"If you don't have it with you, it's probably with your passport, back in the cabin," Katara informed him. His jaw dropped. He had just been there.

"Where did he go!?" a voice demanded from outside the door. Zuko whirled around, a panicked expression his face as he eyed the door, as if it would burst open at any moment.

Katara looked from Zuko to the door, and barely held back a laugh. "Are you running from the train security?" she choked out, smirking.

"It's not funny!" he said as he began to climb Appa.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she watched him reach for Appa's saddle. "Just tell them that you'll get it -"

"It's too late for that, Katara," he said as he reached the saddle. He pulled himself over the side.

Katara bit her lip. "What did you do, Zuko?" she snickered.

"Just get up here!" he insisted. "They know I came through and they'll question you!" he added in a low voice.

"Alright, alright," Katara chuckled as she placed the brush beside Appa. "I'll finish up later, okay, boy?" The sky bison let out a little snort before Katara began to climb up. Zuko reached over the side of the saddle, grabbing her arms and pulling her over just as the door burst open. "Shh! Stay down!" He rolled over her, keeping their bodies flat against the saddle as he covered her mouth.

"What the!?" one of the men gasped. Katara sent Zuko an annoyed glare. She knew they were hiding, he didn't need to try to silence her. The prince wasn't paying attention. His head was nearly touching hers, but tilted to to the side, trying to listen in on the men chasing him.

"It's fine," another assured him. "It's just a sky bison. I heard they're peaceful creatures."

Appa lifted his head and turned towards them. He let out a low growl as he shifted away. In his saddle, Katara and Zuko slid to one side, barely stopping themselves from slamming into one side of the saddle as Zuko braced them, pressing his body down and his arms into the leather. Katara winced as his weight landed directly on her. "The Boulder does not feel comfortable in the presence of this magnificent beast! Perhaps we should continue to the next car!"

Katara's eyes widened. Was that The Boulder? The famous Earth Kingdom Rumbler? He was Sokka's favorite. Perhaps she could get an autograph for her brother later.

"Do Ree, I think I agree with Mr. Boulder," one attendant said. "There doesn't seem to be any room for the stowaway to hide here."

Katara tugged her head away from Zuko's hand. When he looked back at her, she shot him a glare. "Move!" she hissed in a low voice. "You're crushing me!"

"Shhh!" he hissed once more. "They're still -"

"Hung, did you hear something?" the attendant asked. The two on the saddle froze.

"No, just keep going or we'll lose him!" the other snapped. Zuko listened to their footsteps walk carefully around Appa before hearing the door open and shut.

He made a motion with one hand for Katara to stay down as he crawled to the side and carefully peeked over the saddle.

"Are they still there?" Katara mouthed. Zuko narrowed his eyes. All three men seemed to have left.

The black-haired man let out a heavy breath of relief and sat up, running his hand through his hair. "I think they've left."

Once he confirmed that the threat was gone, Katara nodded and quickly sat up. She raised an arm and smacked his left bicep hard. "What is wrong with you?" she snapped. "Three men? What did you do?"

"Nothing! I said I wanted to go get my ticket from you and they didn't believe me," Zuko scowled.

Katara narrowed her eyes. "Don't tell me you ran." His eyes flickered away guilty and her mouth dropped, stunned. "Zuko, you can't just run away!"

"They were going to arrest me!"

"What!?" Katara choked out. "Why would they arrest you?"

"I don't know! They're really serious about tickets apparently!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air.

Appa snorted and let out a groan as he shifted, seemingly annoyed that his own peace and quiet was being disrupted. He turned to the side, sending Katara backwards onto the saddle and Zuko flailing helplessly forward.

Katara saw him coming down and screamed as she raised her arms over her head. She held her breath, bracing herself for impact. She felt the saddle move on either side of her, but Zuko's body didn't slam into her and knock the air out of her lungs, as expected. Carefully, she opened one eye and lowered her arms.

"Appa! What are you doing?" Zuko demanded of the sky bison as he looked up from where he was above her, his body kept up by his hands and arms on either side of her head while his legs had landed on either side of one of hers. "Do you want to crush Katara?" he chastised. The bison snorted and shook his head before returning to his food. Zuko's scowl faded as he looked down at her, concerned. "Katara, are you -"

His eyes went wide as her arms wrapped around his neck and drew him down. A sharp gasp escaped his lips as she leaned upwards, pressing her lips against his as her eyes closed.

Time seemed to stop. The banished prince was frozen in his spot, every muscle in his body tense as her warm, soft lips stroked his. Part of him couldn't believe what was going on. Surely, when Appa moved, he had been thrown off the saddle, injured his head, and all of this - Katara's fingers playing with his hair, her lips grazing his - was all some sort of hallucination or dream triggered by a rather serious concussion.

What reason would Katara have to kiss him? His face paled.

Gathering all his strength, he pulled back and lifted ne hand to unwind her arms from his neck. Katara lowered her head, her own eyes widen as the sudden realization that he had rejected her hit. Her flushed brown skin seemed to become even redder in tint as the humiliation prepared to sweep over her.

He didn't move from above her. His eyes remained looking down into hers as he squinted, almost desperately at her. "Tell me you're not possessed," he whispered. She furrowed her brows and slowly shook her head.

"I...I'm not...," she choked out. She tore her eyes from his and turned away, trying to figure out how to get out from underneath him. "I'm sorry, Zuko. I was distracted." That didn't make sense. "I was just surprised and just..." Katara looked panicked. "I didn't mean to do that, I wasn't thinking -"

She gasped as a warm hand grasped her chin. She felt her body still as her face was gently turned back to his. Katara could feel her pulse racing as he lowered his head. Her eyes slowly closed and hot lips sealed over hers. Her arms rose and wrapped around his neck once more, pulling him closer as he relaxed and he carefully laid beside her.

In the back of both their minds, a small voice asked them what they were doing. What would this accomplish? Hadn't Katara apologized? Hadn't she said she didn't know what she was doing and didn't mean to.

A warm tongue slipped into her mouth as his arms moved around her waist. He rolled over, gently bringing her on top of him as her lips parted and welcomed him inside. Her body seemed to mold against his. His hands moved over the curve of her back slowly.

They could deal with the repercussions of their actions later. Right now, she didn't want to think about anything. She just wanted to kiss him and he, seemingly more than anything else at that moment, wanted her to.

She tilted her head back as his mouth slowly trailed down her jaw, tracing the length of her neck. Her hands curled into his thick hair, keeping him close as she moved over him; her leg sliding against his.

Earnestly, he moved against her. He inhaled the subtle scent of her skin as his own brushed against it. He could feel her heart race against him. If they could stay that way forever, he thought to himself, he'd be happy.

"Katara!" There was a voice coming somewhere in the hazy consciousness they willingly chose to ignore. "Did Zuko come by here?" Aang would understand, wouldn't he? If they just wanted to stay together, without thinking of what the future held, for just a moment longer. "I have his ticket and passport!"

They both knew that it couldn't last. Aang would surely grow suspicious and bounce atop Appa to check to see if they were there. He would find them, flushed and sweaty, with their hair disheveled and breathing breathlessly.

Katara pulled away first. Large, apologetic blue eyes looked at him as she turned away. One hand pressed against his broad, firm chest, keeping him down as she moved over him, running her other hand over her hair to try to fix any stray hairs that had gotten out of place.

Zuko's eyes squinted at her longingly. One hand rose and tried to touch her face; to stroke it gently as he often did, but she moved out of his grasp. "Katara..." His heart started to hurt.

"He's up here again! We're hiding from the train attendants chasing him." Katara was sitting up, by the end of the saddle, with a smile across her face as if nothing had happened. She refused to look back and see his pained expression.

"Oh, good!" Aang said, sounding relieved. "I thought he'd been caught."

Katara began to climb over the edge of the saddle and then slid down Appa's side. Zuko close his eyes and tilted his head back. He took a deep breath to try to calm his own heart before sitting up straight and moving towards the edge of the saddle.

"They ran out the other door, so it won't be long before they realize I'm not there and make their way back," Zuko told Aang as he followed Katara's path down. He landed beside the flying bison.

"Why did you do to make them come after you?" Aang sighed.

"They wanted to detain me and -"

The door at the other end of the train car opened. "There he is!"

"I have my ticket!" Zuko growled.

"I'll see you guys later," Katara piped. Zuko looked back over his shoulder and saw her quickly turn and head towards the other door.

"Katara!"

"Don't move!" the train attendant ordered.

"But...," he looked back at Katara, watching her as she opened the door and rushed out without look back.

"Later," the Avatar whispered in a low voice. Aang put his hand on Zuko's shoulder and redirected his attention to the three men who were after him. "Gentlemen," Aang offered "I think an explanation is necessary."

* * *

"Why can't we just fly over them?" Zuko asked as Aang carefully maneuvered Appa towards a platform at the top of the outermost ring of Ba Sing Se. Just beyond it were the vast agrarian fields that supplied much of the city's food. Zuko could see the actual city further past it.

"We still need to check in. We're at peace, but Ba Sing Se is still very strict about its immigration policy. Everyone who leaves or enters has to check in at one of the customs gates," Aang pointed out. "It won't take long, though. All our paperwork is ready and they're expecting us."

Zuko looked over the edge of Appa's saddle as they descended. Several rows or armed soldiers were waiting for them and as Appa landed, the man in charge bowed.

"Welcome to back to Ba Sing Se, Avatar Aang! We've been expecting you."

"General Fung!" Aang beamed. He airbended himself from Appa's head and landed before the military leader, bowing respectfully in return. "Thank you for greeting us."

"The Earth King is expecting you, Avatar," the gray-haired general told him. "We are honored to escort you and your associates to the palace." He motioned to a large train car on one of the monorail systems that crisscrossed the city. It was flanked by smaller train cars with numerous earthbenders and accompanying soldiers.

"Great! We appreciate it," Aang said. He looked back at the saddle. "Zuko! Wake up Katara!"

The black-haired man turned around. Curled in a ball, across from him on the saddle, was Katara.

After what had happened on Appa's saddle the day before, she seemed to have been avoiding him. She wouldn't look him in the eye and whenever Aang would leave their cabin, Katara would make an excuse to leave, as well. It was obvious that she didn't want to be alone with Zuko.

Aang had asked if everything was alright and Zuko had told him he wasn't sure. The confusion in his voice seemed to have been enough to let the young Avatar know that both parties were confused and couldn't explain to him what was going on, so he let it pass.

Zuko wanted to talk to Katara, but wasn't sure what to say. As a result, he found himself equally silent, unsure how to politely ask 'why did you kiss me?'. He was even more afraid to ask why he had kissed her back.

He had spent much of the night on the train thinking about. Katara was curled up and laying across the bench from him and Aang. The Avatar was sleeping peacefully and all Zuko could do was look at the back of Katara's head, unable to sort out his thoughts. How he had managed to fall asleep and wake up when the train arrived was miracle.

Once they arrived by Lake Laogai, they had gotten back on Appa in preparation to fly over it. Whenever Zuko offered his hand to Katara, she seemed to purposely avoid him. When she had stumbled and fell over, accidentally brushing his arm, she had pulled back as if he had tried to set her on fire.

He wasn't sure if he should've been hurt, angry, or guilty. It seemed as if she couldn't stand him. Once airborne, Katara had resumed her sleep and he, in an effort to distract himself, had kept Aang company.

Zuko looked back at the sleeping lump. He took a deep breath and approached her slowly.

"Zuko, hurry up! Appa is going to fly over there!" Aang called.

"I'm up," a voice said in front of him. Zuko saw the blanket move and Katara sit up. She raised her arms over her head and stretched them before running her hand through her hair and gathering her blanket.

"Sorry," Zuko mumbled distracted. She kept her back to him and he silently crawled over the saddle and slid down. Katara followed and they were escorted to the fancy train car. Aang chatted happily with the General while Zuko sat across from him and Katara.

The blue-eyed woman spent the short journey staring out the window. He wondered if she were watching the scenery pass or just doing so to avoid looking at him. The silence between them prevailed until they reached the throne room of the Earth King.

King Kuei was seated with a large bear on his right and his new wife to his left. Zuko had heard about the marriage a year or two earlier. The entire kingdom had celebrated, as it seemed that the man who was last in his line was finally getting married after rejecting hundreds of noble daughters and courtesans from around the kingdom.

However, it was the first time Zuko had seen the Earth Queen. For a moment, he did a double take. King Kuei looked like such an innocent, blissfully naive man with his neat clothes and glasses. His wife was, from what Zuko had heard, a former bounty hunter King Kuei had met while on an excursion and her hardened beauty showed. She had pale skin and dark hair with dark eyeshadow and red lips. Her hair was partially down; uncommon amongst the Earth Kingdom nobles.

Yet, Queen June lingered beside her husband dutifully and as King Kuei welcomed them, the woman glanced at her husband fondly.

"And of course, Our welcome is extended to Lady Katara and Prince Zuko," Kuei beamed as he gave them a small bow as a greeting. The two bowed lowered in response to the higher ranking man. "We hope you enjoy your stay here."

"Thank you for having us, Your Highness," Zuko replied formally.

"My lovely wife has prepared some tea in the her garden," Kuei smiled. "We hope that you will join her. There is a surprise waiting, as well," he added.

"Darling, I think you should just tell them," the Queen urged. Even her voice was low and sultry.

"Non-sense, my love. It'll be fun!" he said. She conceded to his order and as Aang was led away to speak with the Earth King and other officers, she ushered Katara and Zuko out another door.

"Thank you for inviting us, Queen June," Katara said. She walked beside Zuko, taking great care not to walk  _too_  close.

"It is my pleasure. I'm sure you'll enjoy it," the older woman seemed to smirk as she lead them down a long corridor. "I was surprised to see your name on our guest list, Prince Zuko," the Earth Queen said smoothly. "I heard you were traveling through our great country. I hope it has been pleasant."

"It has taught me much, Queen June. Your people are most hospitable, even for nameless man wandering through," Zuko replied respectfully.

She gave a small nod of her head. "I hope you both enjoy jasmine tea. The Fire Lord had sent over some as a gift with the last ambassador's visit. We do enjoy his tea greatly."

"He would be pleased to know it is appreciated. My uncle is quite a connoisseur, Queen June."

"Indeed he is," the woman said as they rounded a corner. They saw an open door at the end of the hall that lead to the garden. "And what about you, Prince Zuko? I was not informed that you were married."

Katara nearly stopped following as Zuko's head snapped up and turned in the direction of the black-haired queen. "Pardon?" he asked.

June looked over her shoulder and moved her eyes calmly from Katara to him. Both benders had stopped walking in the middle of the hall and the female royal came to a stop. "You need not hide it," she assured them. She could sense the tension between them easily and it was clear that they were both painfully aware of each other. However, perhaps they were not at that point yet. "Engaged then?" she asked, as she raised an eyebrow.

Katara shook her head. "I'm afraid you're mistaken, my Queen -"

"Oh, then he's still just your boyfriend," June pressed. She nodded knowingly. "I should've known. There would've been some big to do had a wedding or an engagement taken place for one of the young Fire Nation royals."

Zuko grit his teeth. "My Queen -"

"We are in no such relationship," Katara stated firmly. Zuko turned to look at her. Even if it was the truth, it still hurt to hear. Katara turned her head away, avoiding his gaze. "We are simply both here to assist the Avatar, Queen June."

An air of awkwardness seemed to settle over the trio. The older woman raised a carefully arched brow and gave a small nod of her head. "I see," she replied coolly. "My apologies. I did not mean to make such an assumption." Katara nodded, but kept her eyes elsewhere. "Shall we continue to the garden? I am quite certain you'll like the 'surprise' my husband arranged," she offered with a small smirk.

"Yes," Zuko nodded. "We'd -"

"I'm afraid I will be unable to attend tea with your, Your Highness," Katara cut him off. He turned back to look at her with a questioning look. She kept her eyes on the female royal. "However, it has been a long day's travel for me. Travel has caught up with me, it seems. I'm afraid I won't be interesting company this afternoon."

"Oh, that's a shame," June frowned. "Are you sure you would not like to stop by and perhaps get something to drink or eat before retiring?"

"I'd actually like to go on a small walk," Katara told her.

"An escort then."

"It won't be necessary, Your Highness. I will be remaining in the Upper Tier," she assured her.

"Katara," Zuko frowned. "I should go with you."

"No." She nearly winced at the sharpness of her voice. Her answer had been quick and Zuko jerked his head back at how forceful she sounded. Katara took a step back. She quickly lowered her head and bowed to the duo. "My apologies for my rudeness."

"Another time, then, Katara," the Queen dismissed understandingly. Katara bowed her head once more in thanks and turned around sharply. She marched down the hall and Zuko closed his eyes. Even royalty couldn't make her stay around him. "She just needs some time alone," a voice said behind him.

"Excuse me, Queen June?" Zuko asked as he turned back to her. The woman in green robes continued down the corridor, leading him towards the garden just a few steps away.

"Your girlfriend," June told him knowingly. "She seems to just want some time alone. It's nothing strange in a relationship. Both parties need time to themselves every once in a while. The spirits know how it took some time for my husband to understand that."

The younger royal merely nodded his head. "I understand."

June smirked. "I'm sure she'd be pleased. Now, it is quite a shame that she couldn't join us. We received a visitor a few days earlier who has extended his visit when he heard the Avatar was arriving with Katara."

Zuko's head perked up. His eyes narrowed and his lips tightened into a frown. Did June say 'he'? "A man is waiting for Katara, my Queen?"

The woman stepped out into the garden, her smirk never leaving her face. Zuko entered after her and paused by the entrance as he saw a tall, slender man standing by a large tree, admiring its blossoms.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, it is that man who is waiting for her."

His jaw locked. His eyes seemed to focus solely on the distracted man who casually paced the tree, waiting for his hostess and the other guests to arrived. As he heard the shuffle of maids and the quiet footsteps on the ground leading to him, he turned around.

A Water Tribe man, Zuko assessed. He was probably their age. His haircut identified him as a warrior, but his blue clothes also showed fine craftsmanship and good materials. He was from a well off family. Possibly an envoy from the Water Tribe?

"Queen June," he greeted as he cupped his hands together and bowed as she arrived. "Thank you for having me."

"I am pleased you are able to stay," the Queen told him. "Let me introduce you to Zuko, Prince of the Fire Nation, nephew of the Fire Lord Iroh."

"Your Highness," the blue-eyed man turned his attention to Zuko and gave him a proper bow.

A small, oddly irritated part of him didn't want to bow back, but Zuko found himself bowing his head anyway. "Prince Zuko, this is the young Ambassador from the Southern Water Tribe."

"It is an honor to meet you," Zuko forced himself to say. So, the man came from the same tribe as Katara. The thought didn't sit well with him.

The man looked up and seemed to glance around Zuko. The Queen stepped aside calmly. "Looking for someone?" she asked.

"Oh, I thought she was with you," the man said, looking a bit confused. Zuko's hands clenched at his sides. Who was this man who was clearly looking for Katara? "I suppose she hasn't arrived yet?"

"Katara?" The Queen asked.

"Yes," the man nodded. "I saw a sky bison over head. That wasn't the Avatar?"

"It was, but she stepped out for a walk," Zuko said in a low voice. "I don't know when she'll be back."

"What?" The Water Tribe man looked sincerely annoyed. "She could've at least come and say hello before she ran off."

"My husband didn't tell her you were here upon their arrival," the Queen said as she motioned for them to join her at the table. "He wanted it to be a surprise. You know Kuei," she added, somewhat affectionately.

"Still, I've been looking forward to seeing her," the man sighed.

"Surely, you can wait a bit longer. Katara will no doubt return tonight. I'm sure you can catch up then," Queen June smiled. Zuko struggled to suppress his horrified look. What exactly was the woman implying? Catching up with Katara at night? This man?

"I suppose," the brown-haired warrior sighed as he took a seat across a wooden table beneath a canopy. The Queen raised her hands and several maids rush forward to pour tea and serve them some small snacks. "It's been a while since I've seen my sister."

Zuko's mouth nearly gaped. "Your sister?" he choked out. The man nodded.

"Yes," he smiled. "Perhaps you've heard of me? My name is Sokka," he beamed. "I'm Katara's older brother."

* * *

The guards bowed to her as she produced her papers and stepped out of the main gate of the palace. Katara tucked her documents into her tunic top as she walked down the main street, trying to focus on strengthening her senses in regards to her vision.

This wasn't a mere distraction, she told herself. She had a valid reason for leaving the palace. The Upper Tier was the least populated place in Ba Sing Se. It had a low crime rate with an especially low violent crime statistic, from what she had last read. No war has ever gotten that far, either, therefore, if she were to use her vision, experiencing something similar to the Fire Nation colony ruins was unlikely.

It was a good chance for her to hone her senses, as she'd have to be forced to figure out whether or not she was seeing a spirit or a living being without the aid of numerous bystanders giving it away.

She did not simply leave the palace because being around Zuko suddenly made her feel nervous and confused.

Katara stopped. Her eyes stared down at the stone cobbled street as and she shook her head. Her eyes closed as she ran a hand down her face. No, she wouldn't think about it. She wouldn't think about how awkward she felt around him or how even though she knew he was as confused as she was, she couldn't address it because she did not know how.

Worst of all, she didn't want to think about why she had kissed Zuko. It wasn't a gentle, friendly kiss on the cheek or on the forehead. No, this was a strong, passionate, open mouthed kiss on the lips that send fire coursing through her body. She had been dizzy with his caresses and the scent of hair. She couldn't think straight, let alone stop herself.

She ignored all her restraint and divulged in a moment of questionable passion and now, she didn't know what to make of it. To make her even more confused, Zuko had kissed her back. Eagerly.  _Expertly_.

Katara shuddered at the memory. She could feel her skin tingling at the memory and she scowled. She and Zuko were just friends. Perhaps they were just a bit lonely or something or...or...

Or he had some feelings for her that she  _may have_  mirrored.

"You're overthinking it," Katara told herself quietly. She should just accept it as simply being caught up in the moment. They were close to each other. Their hearts were pounding from hiding out. She found Zuko attractive. Therefore, she kissed him. Her eyes narrowed. Somehow, it sounded more like an excuse than reason. Perhaps the way to go was to talk to Zuko about it.

They still had much to travel together; the tension between them wasn't necessary and the sooner they cleared it up, the sooner they could go back to being how they were two days earlier - good friends who trusted each other.

"Watch out!" a child's voice filled the area and Katara looked up. Her eyes widened as she saw a green ball flying towards her. She quickly lunged to the side, easily getting out of the ball's trajectory.

"Brother, my ball!" another voice yelled, sounding terrified.

Katara turned and watched as the ball she had avoided hit one of the large ornamental stones that dotted the park she was walking in and then bounced up, onto the top of the massive stone barrier wall.

Katara crinkled her eyes. "Oh no..." The ball was on the Upper Tier wall. It bounced once more and then, it tipped towards one side and vanished over the other side of the wall.

The waterbender inwardly cringed. Reluctantly, she turned around. The little girl was standing a few paces away, her pale face reddening as her lips trembled. Katara could see the child's eyes begin to water.

A moment later, the little girl burst into tears. "Brother!" she cried out to the child beside her. He couldn't have been more than two or three years older than her. "My ball!" she sobbed as she pointed to the wall.

"I'll get it, Li-Li, don't worry," her older brother assured her as he bent down and wiped her tears away. Katara smiled softly. She was reminded of her own brother. Even though she and Sokka often argued as children, when she needed it, he would always try to help her. "Stay here! This won't take long!"

The little girl nodded and rubbed her eyes. She obediently remained where he told her.

The little boy rushed forward and Katara furrowed her brows. Shouldn't they have gone to one of the gateways and asked for help? They couldn't just leave the Upper Tier unescorted. The boy himself couldn't have been more than seven or eight years old.

She watched as he stood at the base of the wall. He looked up, as if estimating how high it was. Then, the child took a step back and got into a familiar earthbending position. Katara paled. He couldn't have been thinking of bending himself over, could he?

She saw the earth crack beneath him. Her eyes went wide. He stuck out his tongue and stomped his foot on the ground. A crumbling lump of earth jut upwards and the child was tossed in the air.

Katara let out a gasp and whirled around. She raised her arms, bending water from the pond that flanked the ornamental stones and threw a water whip at the child. His own bending wasn't strong enough to propel him the entire way, and just before he could reach the top of the wall, he began to plummet.

Katara's water whip wound around his body, catching him carefully before freezing over beneath him and allowing him to slide down to safety. "What are you doing!?" the woman gasped as she rushed forward. "That's far too high for you!"

"I could've made it!" the boy flushed, embarrassed.

"You were starting to fall!" Katara frowned.

"Brother, my ball!" the little girl cried out as she stumbled towards him. "What about my ball?"

"I just need to bend more earth the next time," the boy child insisted. He scrunched his face and ran back to the base of the wall.

Katara frowned. "Hold on," she said, moving in front of him before he tried this death defying act once more. "How about this? You stay here with your sister.  _I'll_ get the ball for you, alright?"

"You'll get my ball?" the little girl's face lit up and Katara nodded.

"Just wait here," she instructed. She moved her arms back towards the pond and bended a large amount of water up. Katara carefully maneuvered it to the wall and bended it into some steps. As soon as it was frozen, she looked back at the children. "Stay here," she repeated once more.

The two children nodded as Katara climbed up the steps to the top of the wall. Upon reaching the top, she looked over at the other side. The wall on that side was at least three times as high as it was on the Upper Tier's side. She was suddenly glad she stopped the boy from going.

She unfroze the water and bended it over the wall. She carefully made a ramp and then froze water around her feet before sliding down expertly. As she reached the bottom, she unfroze the water and refroze it back to the chunk of ice that was the ramp so she could use it to bend the ball back.

She looked around for the ball, hoping it hadn't bounced too far. The base of the wall, on the Middle Tier's side, was a alley behind a series of homesteads. Beyond them, she could hear the sound of a busy street. Looking around, however, there didn't seem to be anyplace a ball could go, unless it was into one of the smaller alleys that lead out into the street.

Frowning, Katara walked down the back alley, peering in between the spaces of the houses in hopes of catching sight of the toy. After walking down a dozen houses in one direction, she began her way back. She should've seen the ball by now.

"Are you looking for something, Miss?" a voice asked behind her. Katara whirled around and saw a man turning the corner from a smaller alley and giving her a questioning look. "You don't look like you're from around here."

"I'm not, I'm looking for something," Katara answered. She squinted her eyes. The man was probably around her age and clearly an Earth Kingdom citizen from the way he dressed. "By any chance, have you seen a ball around here? It shouldn't have gone far. Two kids accidentally tossed it over the wall."

He raised a sharp, arched brow and shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I haven't seen a ball on my way up."

"Maybe it went down that way...," Katara muttered to herself as she turned around. She narrowed her eyes and rubbed her chin.

"That way? It's a dead end," he told her easily. "Maybe some other kids picked it up."

Katara narrowed her eyes. She hadn't heard anyone else in the alley, though. She turned back to the wall. Even if it had fallen and bounced, it couldn't have gone very far...

Her eyes went wide as she lowered her hands. The drop from the top of the wall was steep and high. No child would've been able to survive such a fall, even if they were an earthbender.

"Oh no." Her heart sank.

"Miss," the man said as he took a few steps closer. "Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Katara shook her head and took a step back. "I'm sorry," she said as she took a deep breath. "I was mistaken." She offered him a weak smile. "Can you direct me to the closest gate to the Upper Tier?"

"Of course," he told her. He looked over his shoulder and motioned down the alley from where he came. "Go down to the main street and make a left. It's about three blocks down. It's an old gate and they'll be closing it down soon, so it usually doesn't have many officers staffing it. You may end up waiting a while to go through."

"Thats fine," Katara assured him. She lowered her head and gave him a bow. "Thank you for your help."

"No problem," he smiled as he stepped aside to let her pass. "By the way, I hope you don't think I'm being too forward," he called out as she neared the alley. She looked over her shoulder. "But may I have your name, Miss?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Katara bowed once more. "That was rude of me. My name is Katara."

"Katara," he repeated slowly. He gave her a cavalier grin. "Nice to meet you. I'm Jet."


	9. Chapter Nine

"That's impossible!" Katara gasped as she paused in the middle of peeling a lychee. Two ceramic bowls filled with the small fruit - one peeled, one unpeeled - were between her and her brother as they huddled under a tree together, happily catching up on Tribe news. "What did he say?"

"What didn't he say?" Sokka snorted. He was leaning against the tree in similar loose green clothes as his sister, casually dropping one lychee after another into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed before continuing. "He was so mad, he just started spouting off non-sense. His parents were so embarrassed that they threatened to send him back to the Northern Water Tribe."

A snort left Katara as she slapped her brother's hand as he reached for another lychee. "If you're not going to help peel, you're not going to eat."

"You sound like Mom," Sokka rolled his eyes. He reached into the bowl and lifted an unpeeled fruit to help. "Speaking of Mom, she was hoping I'd run into you while I was here."

"Really?"

Her brother nodded. Instead of putting the peeled lychee into the bowl with the peeled ones, he ate it and earned a slightly annoyed glare from his sister. "Yeah," he said as he grinned at her annoyance. "She's hoping you'll have some time between traveling with the Avatar to come visit."

"I haven't been gone that long," Katara pointed out.

"It's long enough for Mom," Sokka replied. "Also, there have been some inquiries."

The female sibling furrowed her brows as she munched on a piece of fruit. "About what?"

"What do you think, Miss Twenty-Year-Old-Single-Waterbending-Master?" Sokka scoffed. "Marriage inquiries. Some poor saps are asking for your hand."

His sister stopped eating. She choose to ignore the comment about poor saps and what her brother meant by it, and instead focused on the fact that there were marriage inquiries about her. "Are you sure they're for me? I mean, if the inquiries went to Grandpa or Gran-Gran, it could've been for another family member. Some of our relatives are of age -" she began, only to see Sokka shake his head.

"They went to Dad," Sokka said, frowning slightly. "And not just the subtle 'oh, has she found a groom, yet' questions."

Katara rolled her eyes. "Futile efforts," she assured him coolly. "Grandpa will say no."

"Grandpa has agreed that now is a good time for you to be married." Sokka lifted his hand and began to hit Katara's back with his palm as she nearly choked on her lychee. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and she looked over at him with a horrified expression.

"Grandpa said I didn't need to think about such a thing!" she nearly shouted.

"Yes, well, you're twenty now and a waterbending master," Sokka pointed out. "He thinks it's a good age and time for you to get married."

"That's ridiculous," Katara insisted. "First, most boys are engaged in their late teens. There probably isn't anyone around my age that could be interested."

Her brother looked away. "I never said they were young guys."

Katara froze in her seat once more. "What?"

"You know Elder Immak's son? His wife died last year and he wants a mother for their daughter," Sokka explained. "And Koda from the fishing guild never got engaged and he's very interested in you." He studied his sister's mildly terrified face. He wasn't sure if she was reacting simply to the prospect of marriage or the prospect of marrying a far older man. "I take it you're not interested."

"I'm not!" Katara scowled. "How can they bring this up at a time like this? Especially Grandpa!" she added, feeling somewhat betrayed by the old man who had always supported her. "They know why I left home. I can't possibly get married while I'm trying to sort all of this out!"

Sokka lowered his eyes. Katara's ability wasn't well known throughout their tribe. In fact, it was mostly kept within the family and amongst elders and close friends. When her ability began to resurface as an adult, Katara didn't want others to know or treat her differently, so only a few people knew that Katara could see the dead.

Sokka himself thought it was crazy. How could a living person see dead spirits? It was highly illogical and there was no way it could be proven, at least by his standards. Still, there was no reason for Katara's night terrors or sudden changes in actions when they were children. He could still remember his younger sister screaming into the night when they were children. It had irritated him at first. How was he supposed to get his precious sleep if Katara kept crying and yelling for someone to stop or get away from her?

There were moments where he had gotten angry at her and yelled, telling his parents that Katara was annoying and should've slept outside with the animals if she was going to yell. He'd received a prompt spanking for his comments and his grandmother made him stay and watch his sister sleep, just to see if she was faking, as he had assured them.

It had terrified him to watch her small hands claw at the air and her chubby legs kicking desperately. Her face was rust colored and her wet with tears as she screamed and fought some unseen being. He had tried to wake her and felt the full strength of her resistance.

"Why would she pretend?" their step-grandfather had asked him. "Do you not think it is painful? Why would she do that to herself?"

The Water Tribe Ambassador clenched his hands. "How are you doing with that, by the way?" Sokka felt silly asking it so casually, but he wasn't sure how else to ask.

Katara slowly continued to peel a lychee; her mind still lingering on the issue of marriage. "I don't panic as much. I'm still having trouble figuring out who is living and who isn't without outside help, but it's not as bad as before."

Sokka tossed a peeled lychee into the bowl and reached for another one. "You used to wake up crying," he said. "When you were little." He paused. "Even before you left," he pointed out. "You'd come to breakfast and your eyes would be red."

Katara tensed. She snapped her head towards him and crinkled her eyes. "You noticed?"

Sokka peeled another lychee, not taking his eyes off of it. "You're my little sister," he pointed out. "How can I not notice when you've been crying?" Katara looked back at the fruit in her hand. "I'm sorry," her brother said quietly. "I haven't been able to do anything for you."

Her eyes closed and she tossed the last of the lychee into the bowl. A weight she never realized was on her shoulders seemed to lift as her brother spoke. The waterbender took a deep breath and released it. "You used to chase kids who made fun of me," she reminded him with a small smile. "When they called me a liar, you fought with them."

Sokka shook his head and ate another lychee. "That's what big brothers are supposed to do," he assured her as he reached over and placed a hand on her head, rubbing it playfully. "I'm the only one who can make fun of you."

"Thanks for the consideration," Katara snorted. She reached into the bowl for another lychee and realized her brother had finished it off. "Sokka..."

"I'm hungry," he shrugged as he chewed on the last one. "Sorry."

Katara sighed and tilted her head up. She didn't think she'd be so relaxed two days into their Ba Sing Se trip, but she supposed it was due to her brother distracting her and lack of any real work to do.

Aang spent the last two mornings in briefings with the Earth King and then in the afternoons, he had city tours. The Earth King joined him while the Earth Queen saw to their guests when she could.

Katara had returned to her room on the first night, after a long walk to a gate that was actually open, and found her brother dozing off on the steps of her guest villa. At first, she was wondering if she was seeing things. It had been a long day and she was exhausted. She had approached the sleeping Water Tribesman carefully and began to poke at his face, as if to assure herself that he was real.

Sokka had jolted awake, immediately grumbling that she had taken too long and asking if she knew how long he had waited before engulfing her in a big hug.

The two siblings had been glued to each other since then. Every morning, Katara would go to her brother's guest villa and order him to get up. Whether he was just trying to make it difficult for her or not, Sokka refused to get out of bed for breakfast. When they would finally arrive, Queen June was the only one left at the table, with her husband and other guests having already finished.

This included Zuko.

With her brother around, Katara hadn't had much to think about him. Her eyes narrowed. Actually, she hadn't seen him except at dinners and even then, she had been engrossed with catching up with her brother that she hardly noticed him...or at least tried not to.

A small, heavy feeling lingered at the base of her stomach. She knew her reason for being distracted, but why hadn't Zuko come to her? He hadn't once checked in on her and he was always worrying. Was it because they parted awkwardly when they arrived? Was it because she was putting the distance between them by even avoiding his eyes when they were in the same room? Her eyes lowered and her expression saddened. She had been avoiding him, hadn't she?

"Are you okay?" her brother asked beside her, snapping her out of her thoughts. Katara blinked and sat up straight. She drew her head back and shook it.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking about what else we can do today," she offered. She gave him a weak smile. "I'm kind of bored."

He raised a brow. "Thanks, Katara. You really know how to make your big brother feel so much better," he replied deadpan.

Katara laughed and shook her head. "No, I mean, we've been in the palace the last two days. We should check out the city."

Her brother looked excited at the prospect before slowly narrowing his eyes. "Is that okay?"

She was already pushing herself up and dusting off her clothes. "Why wouldn't it be okay?" she asked with a small laugh. "We're guests, not prisoners here."

"That's not what I meant," Sokka sighed as he rose to his feet. He looked at her seriously. "Are you alright going into the city with...you know..." He trailed off and waved a hand over his eyes.

Katara sighed and rolled her eyes. "You can say it, you know," she told him. "My vision."

"Right," Sokka prodded. "With your 'vision'."

She released another heavy breath. "Yes, actually, I really should get of the palace. The reason I agreed to come with the Avatar was to get a handle on my abilities. I'm not handling anything if I don't get out and don't use them."

"But what about if you do see them?"

"I'll see them," Katara insisted as she began to walk down the hall. "That's practically a guarantee."

Sokka followed behind her, worry written across his face. "Are you sure? What if they attack you or something? Or you get overwhelmed?"

"We'll just take it slowly," Katara assured him. "We'll start in the Upper Tier and work our way down to the Middle Tier. We won't go any lower."

Her brother looked unsure, but conceded. "If it starts to be too much for you, tell me," he told her seriously as they walked up the steps and into the hall. "I'll get you out of there."

Katara smiled as she looked over her shoulder and gave him a nod. "Thanks, Sokka."

He lifted his head and raised his hand. "Katara, watch where you're going-"

She turned her head, but was unable to stop herself in time from running into a man. "Sorry, Katara," a familiar voice told her. "I wasn't paying attention."

Every sense she had sudden became overly aware of the man she had run into. Her wide blue eyes hesitated looking up, but did so anyway. She wasn't sure if she was hoping to find another person or not and wasn't sure how to feel, aside from mortified, to find Zuko taking a step back and adjusting the books he had pinned under his arm.

"Good afternoon, Your Highness," Sokka greeted sheepishly. "Our apologies. Katara and I were talking and weren't paying attention."

"It's fine," Zuko said as he moved to the side. "I was distracted, as well." He seemed to keep his eyes on a particular book, readjusting it under his arm despite not needing to.

Across from him Katara shifted awkwardly. She hadn't spoken to the banished prince in two days. They'd never not spoken for that long a time before. In fact, unless they were asleep or on separate errands, the most they hadn't talked to each other was a few hours.

"We're about to take a walk," Sokka told him as he reached the top of the steps and moved around his sister. "You're welcomed to join us."

Her heart leapt to her throat. "Thank you, Sokka, but it's quite alright," Zuko replied good-naturedly. Katara turned her head towards him, eyeing him as if asking why he had rejected the offer. Was he uncomfortable? Was he uncomfortable because of  _her_? He lifted up his books. "I'm trying to get some reading done while we're still here. There are some great books in the Royal Library that you can't find anywhere else."

Katara's gaze shot down to the books in his arms. He seemed to have gotten quite a bit and from what she could see of the label on the first one, it had something to do with ghosts.

"Next time then," Sokka said. He glanced back at his sister and raised a brow. "Katara, are you okay?"

"What?" his sister blinked and looked back up.

"Are you sure you're up for going out? You seem well," Sokka pointed out. Katara shook her head quickly.

"No, no, just thinking," she assured him. "I'm ready to go!" She quickly passed him as Sokka and Zuko exchanged one more set of bows before parting ways.

"How hard did you run into him, Katara?" Sokka chuckled. "I keep telling you to look where you're going, but you never listen."

She shot him a small glare before looking over her shoulder once more. She could see the top of Zuko's head as he was walked down the steps and into the garden. She was sure that the books he was reading were related to her.

"You make it sound like I run into everything," Katara replied sharply. "I'm not the one who ran into the side of the house."

"I didn't know Gran-Gran was drying the animal skin door cover on the side!" Sokka insisted. "And I was eight!"

"You still ran into a wall."

"Life's full of walls," Sokka replied. Katara chuckled and Sokka smiled. "You just have to keep going until you're on the other side."

* * *

He wished he could turn back the time to several days earlier, before the train, before the indulgence of a kiss, and before the unbearable awkwardness that followed. They'd scarcely talked in the last three days, which was completely out of the ordinary, and as much as Zuko had tried to distract himself from it, he'd always find his thoughts drifting back to Katara.

Even the books he had gotten from the library somehow led back to her. The spirit world, ghost stories of Ba Sing Se, legends, hauntings, communicating with the dead, ancient rituals for the deceased, Water Tribe customs and traditions - everything related to her. He needed a break and finally decided to take a walk outside the palace of his own.

"Will you need a palanquin to take you down, Your Highness?" the Earth Queen asked calmly as she looked up from the feeding the massive brown mammal. "Or perhaps you'd like to take Nyla out for a ride." She turned to the shirshu and gently rubbed the side of her face. "It's been a while since my Nyla has been out."

Zuko resisted his urge to crinkle his eyes and step away from the beast with the numbing tongue. Everyone in the courtyard, from guards to animal handlers, seemed to take caution around it, except for Queen June. He'd never ridden a shirshu before and didn't feel keen on starting then.

"No, no, I wouldn't dream of forcing Nyla to take me around or ask for a palanquin," Zuko assured her. "I only wanted to take a walk and take in some of the city."

"I see," June replied before extending her hand and having a servant hand her a large brush to use on Nyla. "If you insist. Will you still be joining us for dinner?"

"Of course, Your Majesty," Zuko bowed his head. "I wouldn't dream of missing it." June nodded, but kept her eyes on the shirshu.

"Until dinner then, Prince Zuko." He bowed again and stepped back before turning around. He made it two steps before he heard her voice once more. "There is a festival for monks tomorrow night and we shall be attending a procession at the temple and following them through the city for their blessing. Ambassador Sokka and his sister will be joining us part way. We hope you will, as well."

Zuko took a deep breath and released it carefully. "I'll make a point to, Your Majesty." He quickened his speed and left the courtyard.

He hardly paid attention to various court attendants giving him bows as he walked through the palace. Princes didn't run in palaces, his mother always told him, though that never stopped him or his sister.

He walked outside the large gates and let out another heavy breath. That was the second thing lingering in his mind: his sister. Perhaps it was time for him to send some sort of letter to Azula. He hadn't contacted her at all since he had been banished. All his messages went to his uncle or his cousin, but never his sister.

Zuko had occasionally thought about sending her a note, but, due to her closeness with their father - the man who had banished him in the first place - he wasn't sure sending her a message would've been well received.

Until Katara told him that his sister missed him to the point that she was jealous of Katara and her brother. It was surprising. The two played together often, but as they grew older, they found themselves with clashing personalities, so aside from the normal sibling annoyance, they didn't have much contact.

Perhaps Azula was envious of the Water Tribe siblings because they were close. That had certainly been solidified into Zuko's mind the last few days; the two were inseparable. Maybe his own sister wanted that sort of relationship with him and didn't actually miss him as a person, but wanted the good relationship.

"I'm over thinking it," he muttered to himself as he walked down the street. He lifted a hand and ran it through his hair. He forcibly distracted himself and looked out at the street ahead of him. Streamers and little flags with the symbol of the main Ba Sing Se temple were hanging across the street in preparation for the festival the next night.

Zuko was pleased with this; admiring the displays and the decorations would take his mind off of women.

He continued down the street, occasionally watching shop owners cleaning the front of the their businesses and residents adding garlands around various statues. Even the park was preparing for the festival with booths being set up and lanterns being readied.

"I told you kids to get down from there!" a voice shouted as Zuko crossed the street. His head shot up as he saw a man rushing towards one of the far walls. Zuko followed the man with his eyes and found a little boy climbing atop a few, unsteady, raised pillars of earth to get on to the wall that separated the Upper Tier from the middle one.

"I just need to see!" the boy argued as he reached for the top of the wall. The pillars he must've earthbended began to waver and he glanced down. His eyes widened as the unstable earth began to crumble beneath him.

A skilled earthbender like Toph would never had had such a problem, but the child was instantly struck with fear and froze. Pausing at such a moment was one of the most dangerous things one could do.

"Brother! It's falling!" a little girl yelled.

Zuko was running before he realized he was. "Li-Li!" the boy yelled as he fell backwards.

Several men were yelling, dropping their tools and abandoning the booths they were setting up to get towards the child. They were too far away and too slow.

In the back of his mind, Zuko could hear a little girl crying and briefly remembered his own sister's muffled tears as they helplessly watched a wing of the palace burn to the ground, taking their mother with it.

"I've got you!" he called, unsure if he was telling the boy or trying to calm the boy's sister. The weight of the child's body slammed against him and Zuko continued to dart out of the way to avoid the falling clumps of dirt. He crushed the boy against his shoulder, covering his head carefully as he got them out of the way.

"Are you alright!?" someone shouted.

"Give them room! Give them room to breathe!" another bystander arriving ordered the others.

Zuko relaxed his shoulders and arms before kneeling down and placing the boy on the ground. He was shaking and as soon as Zuko released him, his small legs gave out beneath him and he fell on to his bottom. His wide eyes were staring ahead of him and he grasped at his clothes. A dark stain had appeared around his mid-section and pants. Zuko crinkled his eyes and looked down at his own borrowed clothes from the palace. A dark, wet stain was on the front of the dark green fabric and he inwardly groaned.

The child had wet his clothes, too.

"Brother!" a little girl's voice cut through the crowd around them. "Brother, are you okay!?"

"I...I...almost-"

"You almost fell, cracked your head open, and died!" one of the men yelled. He looked angry, red in the face and was trembling, but Zuko understood. They had all been terrified seeing the child teetering above them and then plummeting to the ground. "Didn't well tell you not to go up there!"

"But he was looking for my ball!" a little girl cried beside her brother.

"Can't you just ask your parents to buy you another ball? Are you crazy?" another man chided. "Climbing on the wall. That's no place for kids!"

"But it's my favorite ball!" the girl cried.

"So it's worth letting your brother climb up somewhere dangerous and almost die?" Zuko frowned. The little girl's mouth snapped closed. "Who do you love more? Your brother or your ball?"

The girl looked horrified as her eyes rimmed with tears. "I love my brother more!" she cried shamefully before apologizing to her sibling.

Zuko closed his eyes and shook his head as he let out a heavy sigh. Where were these kids' parents? He knew that the Upper Tier was generally safe, but surely they could've made sure that their kids weren't doing anything stupid and dangerous.

"We've waited for days and that lady never came back!" the boy argued as he looked away, trying to cover the wet spot on his clothes. "She said she'd go get our ball and waterbended over the wall a few days ago, but she never came back."

Zuko's head snapped. "A waterbender?" he asked. The little girl nodded, still clinging to her older brother.

"She said she'd look for it on the other side." Silently, Zuko swore to himself. There was only one waterbender he knew up there and that sounded exactly like something she would do, even if she had said that she wouldn't leave the Upper Tier.

"Maybe it's lost and she couldn't find it," Zuko told them.

"But it has to be there!" the girl insisted. "I saw it go over!"

"I'll walk down there and check," Zuko told her. "She's my friend and I know she's not the kind of person who'd make promises she can't keep, alright?"

"You're just going to run away," the boy snapped.

Zuko resisted the urge to glare at him. He saved the ungrateful little brat and he still had the gall to snap at him. A man smacked the boy on the head lightly. "Don't talk to your elders that way, kid," one of the workers chastised. "He saved you and is going to look for your ball. How can you be so disrespectful, especially after you peed on him!"

The boy's face turned red and Zuko struggled not to react at the reminder. "Li-Li!" the boy said suddenly as he scrambled to his feet. "Let's go home!"

"But he's going to look-" his sister began as he grasped her hand and began to pull her away.

"Tomorrow night!" the boy snapped as he turned back and galred at Zuko. "If you don't show up here tomorrow night with the ball, you'll have to buy us a new one!" he threatened.

Then, the two kids ran off. Zuko narrowed his eyes. What had become of good parenting? "Spoiled little..."

"Don't mind them," one of the workers said as they began to disperse and return to their jobs. "Parents, you know."

"Yeah," Zuko muttered. He gave them a small bow before turning around and heading back in the direction of the palace to change. He tried to ignore the few looks he received when others noticed the stain on the front of his robe. It was almost enough to make him not want to go back outside, but he was curious about the ball.

It wasn't like Katara at all to say she'd do something and not only not do it, but not come back and tell the children she couldn't find the ball. Carefully following the dividing wall once he got through the gate, he found himself in an alley behind some buildings.

He glanced around and looked back at the wall. It was odd that Katara couldn't have found it easily. It wasn't as if there were many obstacles for it to have hidden around. The alley was kept clean. Perhaps it sloped and the ball rolled away.

Zuko caught a movement from the corner of his eye and saw a young woman sweeping from one of the adjoining alleyways. The banished prince took a few steps forward.

"Excuse me, Miss," he called out as amicably as he could. "Miss?"

The young woman lifted her head her head and looked at him curiously. "Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for a ball that came over the wall a few days ago," Zuko said, making vague hand motions towards the massive wall beside him. "Have you seen it?"

"No," she replied with a shrug. "I sweep out this alley every afternoon and haven't seen a ball."

Zuko furrowed his brow. "Oh..." Someone else had probably picked it up. "Thank you, though." He gave the brown-haired young woman a small bow of his head.

She narrowed her eyes. "Do you think I'm lying?"

"No!" Zuko insisted quickly, raising his hands in his defense. "Some kids were looking for it and one nearly fell and hurt himself looking for the ball, so I said I'd check."

"So you think that one of our neighborhood kids took it, is that it?" she frowned. Zuko shook his head. "You think that since we're not from the fancy Upper Tier, we'd just steal whatever trash came on our side?"

'What? No, I never said-"

"Longshot!" the woman called over her shoulder. "Some guy from upstairs is calling me a liar and theif!"

"I never said that!" Zuko exclaimed tiredly. "I'm just looking for a ball!"

"If it was a fancy looking ball from the other side of the wall," a tall, slender young man came out of one of the doorway and gave him a small bow. "I saw some children playing with it down the street." He tilted his head to the side. "They probably figured it was abandoned and took it. I can ask for it back for you, Sir-"

"No, no," Zuko shook his head once and then gave the man a respectful bow. "It's alright." That would look great, wouldn't it? A grown man taking a ball from children. He could almost see Katara's deadpan expression asking if he was serious. Zuko shook his head to focus. "Thank you for letting me know."

The man gave him a nod and the young woman huffed. "Do the Wang kids have it? Those kids never ask when they take something. They'll just pick up whatever they find and run off with it. You know they took Jet's incense bowl last year?" the woman complained. "Those rude kids. Parents these days don't teach their kids anything!"

"We did leave it outside; they probably thought it was trash," the man replied in a low, calm voice. "Besides, Mrs. Wang gave it back."

"What kind of kids are they, anyway?" the woman snorted. "Stealing the bowl from a dead man's memorial."

Zuko narrowed his eyes a bit and took a step forward. "Forgive me for intruding, but did someone die here?" Katara hadn't gone back to those children for a reason...

"An old friend of ours died a few years ago in this alley," the man replied solemnly. "He had too much to drink at the festival. We found him here the next morning and it was too late to help him. Every year since, we've put up a small memorial for him and burned some incense."

The young woman beside him glared at the ground. "But I'm telling you, Longshot, he didn't just get drunk, fall, and hit his head!"

"Bee, we've been over this-"

"That woman betrayed him!" the woman insisted. "She broke his heart that night! It's her fault, Jet died!"

* * *

"Sokka!" Katara called out as she looked around and frowned. She let out a heavy sigh and tilted her head up, looking at the orange sky above her. "Let me make a stop at this poetry house, he said...," she grumbled to herself. "I'll meet you here before sunset and we'll walk back up, he said..."

She let out a snort and crossed her arms over her chest as she walked along a street where vendors were closing up for the night. Of course, she should've known that her brother would completely forget about her 'vision' and saving her if it became too much for her to handle. The moment he had gotten distracted, she knew she'd end up waiting. Sokka could be so predictable.

Katara decided to make the best of her situation. She walked around slowly, carefully watching the reactions of people and how they moved to assert whether the person she saw there was living or not.

It was frustrating that, aside from reactions from the living, there was no way she could tell immediately. No goosebumps or hairs suddenly sticking up. They didn't have the overwhelming presence that she had felt back in the forest with the colony ruins. That presence was powerful directed towards her, so she knew. However, for everyday spirits just wandering, there was no blatant warning. Most didn't possess enough of a presence to stand out from the living to begin with. It wasn't until she already realized that they were ghosts that Katara started to get goosebumps. That didn't help at that point.

While most recent attempt was a failure, at least there weren't any malicious spirits. Most were simply harmless ghosts wandering, but of course, that had been in the day light. Once it got dark, she'd see more. She'd already managed to help one, though had seen several others. When she had pointed them out to Sokka, he had become more nervous than she was and try as he might, he couldn't see what she was talking about and dragged her away.

"Stupid Sokka...," she grumbled as she stopped and looked around. She had wanted to be back in the palace before dark in order to freshen up before dinner. Katara shook her head and decided to return on her own. She'd ask some guards to go look for Sokka if she didn't run into him on her way back.

Katara began back up the street, heading for the gate to the next ring.

"Well, fancy running into you again," a voice said behind her. She turned around and gave a small nod of her head in greeting to a young man she had run into a few days earlier. He smiled brightly as he stood up from where he had been leaning against a large clay water jug. outside someone's home, on the street corner. "Out for a walk?"

"I was with my brother, but he's late. You wouldn't by any chance have seen a Water Tribe man in green robes, would you?" Katara asked curiously. "And it's Jet, right?"

"Right," he said as he gave her a bow. "And you're Katara. I never forget a pretty face."

She let out an amused snort. "Thanks," she grinned.

"Maybe it's my lucky night," he said as he approached her. "I was hoping to run into you again. Are you going to attend the monk's city blessing procession tomorrow night?"

"I heard about that! Yes," Katara nodded. "I saw all the decorations everyone is putting up. I'm sure it'll be fantastic."

"Oh yeah, it's gorgeous. The entire city lights up!" Jet assured her. "Plus the food. I have to say, there is something about festival food that's special."

Katara laughed. "So, I take it that you're attending?"

"Yes, I do every year," he told her. He leaned in closer and gave her a cavalier grin. "And I'd be most happy if a lovely young woman would join me to partake in the food and fireworks."

For a brief instance, her eyes widened. This was a first and she almost didn't believe her ears. Admittedly, she was a bit excited at the thought, but it quickly gave way to some disappointment. She had already made plans to go with Sokka and join the procession from the palace. Not to mention that as a companion of the Avatar, she was also expected to be in attendance. But still, she didn't often get asked out by attractive young men. Not even by the one who had kissed her so fervently on a sky bison's saddle.

"Katara?" Jet's voice called out again. "Hello...," he called teasingly. "Are you okay? Your face is red."

That was Zuko's fault, she asserted to herself. Katara shook her head and gave Jet an apologetic smile. "Sorry, but I'm afraid I've already made plans with someone"

"Well," Jet sighed. "I can't say I'm not disappointed. But if you have time, come by the area," he said. "I'll buy you some grilled pentapus balls. My friend, Smellerbee, and her fiance run a cart during the festival - the  _best_ grilled pentapus balls in the city."

"Oh, I heard those are good," Katara's eyes lit up as she nodded. She'd get some to show Sokka, and then eat them in front of him without sharing to get back at him for forgetting about her that day! A small, gleeful part of herself became excited as the prospect at battling it out with her sibling. "I suppose it won't hurt to drop by. Where should we meet?"

"Oh, up by the wall where we met a few days ago. Their cart is on the street past the alley. A prime location I scouted," he grinned.

"Sounds good," Katara nodded. She gave him a bow of her head . "See you tomorrow night, then!"

"Until tomorrow night, my lady!" Jet gave her a deep bow and Katara chuckled before waving and continuing her way.

It was amazing how a brief encounter with someone could change one's mood. She suddenly felt lighter and happier. She was less upset with Sokka, but that still wouldn't mean she'd wait for him. Katara let out a content sigh. An ego boost every now and then wasn't so bad.

"Katara!" She blinked and looked up as she reached the gate and the queue that was in front of it. Standing away from the line, beside the gate and the checkpoint, was Zuko. Her brows instantly furrowed as he came towards her with a worried expression on his face. "Are you alright?"

She didn't know how to feel. The light feeling Jet had given her with their chat on the festival and delicious pentapus balls vanished upon seeing Zuko. Her body tensed, her chest tightened, and her heart began to quicken. She could feel her face heating up, and while part of her wanted to turn, pretend she didn't see him, and avoid him completely, the other part of her was suddenly relieved to see him approaching her.

He was worried. He still cared. Katara shook her head. Ridiculous. She had more faith in Zuko than that. Of course he still cared; she still care about him. Things were just awkward, that was all...and it would pass.

"Katara," his voice was still laced with concern and she met his eyes. He stopped in front of her, lowering the arms that she knew were reaching out to her. He kept his distance and her chest ached. Gold eyes crinkled up. "Where's your brother? I thought he was with you?" He sounded upset that she was alone.

"Oh, he wandered off," Katara replied, diverting her eyes. "I thought I'd head back to palace and get changed and wash up before dinner."

Zuko swallowed the lump in his throat. He wanted to touch her and place a comforting hand on her shoulder. He wanted to stroke her hair and check her face. He could tell if she was bothered by her expression. Now, she couldn't look at him. Guilt and irritation bit at him. Maybe he did cross the line.

"I know it's none of my business," he began carefully. "But I thought you were staying up there."

Blue eyes flickered up to meet his hesitantly before looking away once more. "I thought coming down here would be more effective. There are more spirits here who are still tied with the mortal world." Zuko took a deep breath and exhaled. He knew that, which was why he was upset to see her by herself. What if something happened? What if she was overwhelmed again? "I'm sorry."

A small quiet voice reached his ears and he looked back at her. She bit her lower lip and kept her eyes downcast. "You didn't do anything wrong," he asserted, even if he did think it was dangerous. "I just don't want something to happen to you."

"I know," she murmured. It was comforting hearing that. She lifted her head once more. Slight irritation and concern were still written on his face. Had he been thinking about her the entire time? She remembered the books he had been reading. Her eyes crinkled up. What was she doing, ignoring him? This was Zuko, her trusted friend. Regardless of what happened on Appa or how it made her feel, it would always remain awkward if she avoided him. She also couldn't do so forever. She wanted to go back to how it was before. Katara met his gaze tentatively. "Are you going back?"

He blinked. "Yes," he replied. "I was hoping to run into you, actually."

Katara turned and headed towards the line, expecting him to follow. "Were you that worried?" Before he could answer, she turned around and extended her hand to beckon him forward. "Thanks."

His eyes softened. Zuko took a step forward and grasped her smaller brown hand in his. Keeping his eyes on hers, he lifted it to his lips and kissed her knuckle. "Thank you."

In silence, they fell into step with each other, her left hand still held his right as they lined up for the checkpoint. The line took longer than expected and by the time they reached the main gates of the palace, it was already dark.

"I helped one today," Katara said as they walked through the gates and headed for a side entrance to get to the guest villas. "A little girl was crying."

"Did she know she was dead?" Zuko asked as they walked up a few steps.

"I don't know, but she was scared. She didn't want to leave, Zuko. She was afraid of what was waiting for her," the waterbender said sadly.

"Did you tell her it was alright?" he asked. She nodded.

"I held her hand and told her go to sleep; that it would be okay if she did. Then she disappeared," Katara smiled softly. "It's rare that spirits talk. Most don't have the energy to. She must've been really scared."

Zuko nodded in agreement. "Ba Sing Se is built atop ruins. They say it may have been a holy pilgrimage site at one point," he said. "She might have gotten her extra energy from the location."

"Is that what you read in the books?" Katara asked as she looked up at him. She squeezed his hand. "You were reading a stack earlier."

"They were interesting," he shrugged. Katara narrowed her eyes slightly.

"You really are a worrier, Zuko," she sighed. He gave her a frown as she swung her arm playfully with his. "But, I'm happy you care to do so."

Now his face was burning up. "You're important to me."

"Because you want me to go with you to the Fire Nation and help you with your mother's death?" Katara asked softly.

He lowered his head. "You remembered."

"It's always been in the back of my mind."

He pulled his hand from hers and frowned, stopping as she took a step ahead and meeting her quizzical expression. "I don't want to use you, so don't think that the reason I care is because of that."

Katara's eyes widened. She jerked her head back at his strong affirmation. She hadn't exactly meant to imply that, had she? She wasn't sure herself. "Zuko..."

"Don't get me wrong; if you can help me get closure with my mother's death, Katara, I will owe you my life," he told her seriously. "And I had started with the hope that you would help me and came with you and Aang because of that."

"So, the reason you're here with us," Katara narrowed her eyes. "Has that changed?"

Zuko opened his mouth, but no words escaped. His lips moved in silence before he grit his jaw. He furrowed his brows and forced the heat from his face. "It has."

She almost couldn't breathe. Katara's heart was banging against her chest, aching as her hands began to tremble beside her. Before she could stop herself, she spoke. "Why did you kiss me back," she began in a shaky voice. "When we were hiding on Appa?"

His heart was tight and for a moment, it felt as if it would explode. Sweat collected at his brow as the waterbender in front of him looked at him, waiting for an answer. He'd asked himself that question a thousand times, along with one more.

"Why did you kiss me first?"

Was she caught up in the moment? Was it the excitement of almost being caught? He'd heard about that happening. Excitement mistaken for something more. His chest nearly collapsed into him as he waited for her reply.

Katara seemed to be battling for her own answer. She didn't step back or avoid his eyes. She kept his gaze, as if determined to clear the air between them.

"I wanted to."

A moment of uncertainty hit him. Zuko looked even more confused. "Why?"

"I don't know," Katara admitted as she shook her head. "You were on top of me and we were hiding. My heart was racing and..." Zuko lowered his head, utterly disappointed. So, it was just excitement mistaken for something more. "And I just  _wanted_  to, Zuko. Why do I have to have a reason?" she asked, clearly unsure why she had done so in the first place.

To Zuko, she had to have a reason because he need to know if his reasons were the same and if so, would it be alright to have them.

If it would be alright to  _act_  upon them.

Instead, he shook his head. "You don't need a reason," he asserted. "I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable."

"You didn't," she answered immediately, even if the entire situation  _had_  made her uneasy. Katara squinted. "Zuko, you have been my irreplaceable friend and companion on this journey. I don't know how long we'll be on it, but I don't want things to be awkward between us any more. I don't want it to get worse and for you to leave because of this."

"Neither do I."

"So, I'm sorry that I avoided you lately. It's just...I've never...," Katara struggled to find the words. "You know with my 'vision', it's been difficult to really connect with others and aside from my brother and childhood friends-"

"Katara," Zuko cut her off gently. A small, warm smile was back on his face. He took a step forward and cupped her flushed cheek with his hand in that familiar manner she had missed the last few days. "I'm not going anywhere," he chuckled softly. "And it'll take more than being ignored for a few days to make me do so. As I said, you're very important to me and not as a woman whose gift is to be used."

Relief flooded Katara and she closed her eyes. She leaned forward and let out a low breath. "Zuko, I'm sorry if I made it uncomfortable when I kissed you and I'm sorry if I hurt you by avoiding you."

"It's alright," he assured her as he brought her closer. The relieved young woman gladly rested her head against his shoulder as his hand moved and stroked the back of her head comfortingly. "I reciprocated when I should've held back. We were just...both caught up in the moment," he tried to reason.

She closed her eyes and pressed her face against him. "Right." Her hands curled into the front of his robes.

"I'm sorry, too, Katara," he whispered above her. She felt his chin gently rest against the top of her head. "If I had crossed any lines that afternoon, I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Katara assured him, shaking her head against him. She smiled slightly as she whispered. "I enjoyed it."

Several paces away, a woman in lavish green robes raised an eyebrow as the attendants beside her waited for her to continue walking. She had thought she would go to the front gates herself to inform the guards to search for Katara, who hadn't arrived with her somewhat panicked brother earlier.

Instead, she found something far more interesting.

"As I said, all you needed to do was let her have some time alone." It almost made the female monarch laugh to watch the prince and the waterbender stumble apart and turn to look towards her with flustered expressions. "I take it you two have made up?"

"We just cleared up a...misunderstanding," Katara offered as she stood rooted a good arm's length away from Zuko.

Queen June gave them a small, acknowledging nod of her head. "So it seems." She turned around. "Well, then, since you are both here, we can rest easy. It seems that Ambassador Sokka was quite alarmed upon arrival. Apparently, he became separated with his sister."

Katara scowled. Became separated? He's the one who was late! "I'll have a talk with him later, Your Majesty," she said.

"I'll have him told that you have arrived safely. Will you both be joining us for dinner?" June continued as she began to walk back.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Zuko replied as he and Katara bowed behind her.

"I just need to freshen up and will join you all at the dining hall in a few moments," Katara assured her. June gave them a graceful nod of her head before leaving them.

"You're not going to scream at him, are you?" Zuko asked as they both straightened up.

"I like how my brother used 'became separated' instead of 'abandoned and forgot'," Katara twitched. Zuko grasped her hand and escorted her down the hall, towards her villa. "He's the one who told me he'd meet up with me later."

"At least he was worried about you."

"Big brothers only start to worry when they think they're in trouble," Katara snorted as they reached her villa. Two guards flanking her doors gave them small nods, but remained in place.

"Hey, watch it," he reminded her. "I'm a big brother, too, remember?"

Katara looked defiant. "I'm sure Azula would agree."

"Well, Azula isn't here."

"And I don't see you as a big brother," Katara concluded as she slid her hand from his and stood at her doorway. She prepared to turn and push her door open, when Zuko's hand grasped hers once more.

"Good," he asserted as he lowered his head and brought his lips to her hand. She could feel them press against her skin; hot and soft, as expected, but as he lingered there, longer than usual, the tightening in her chest returned, as did the heat across her face. His eyes slowly rose and met hers before releasing her hand and stepping back. "I'll see you at dinner, Katara."

She watched as he gave her a bow of his head before he turned around and walked away. Katara remained standing in front of her door, her mouth slightly agape as the tingling sensation across her body slowly calmed. She brought her hand back and rested it against her chest as she stepped back and went through the doorway.

As she entered the villa she looked down at her hand before bringing it up and covering her mouth.

The reason she had kissed Zuko couldn't be explained because she couldn't describe it in words. But at that moment, just as he stepped away, the reason returned and all she wanted to do was grab his fleeting hand and pull him inside with her.

* * *

"Your Highness!" The brown-haired man nearly shot of his chair, where he had been sitting pensively across from the Avatar, waiting for the rest of the dinner guests to arrive. The moment he saw Zuko enter through the door behind Aang, Sokka was on his feet. "Thank you! I heard you found my sister!"

"You're the one who found her, Zuko?" Aang asked as he stood up. "I'm glad. Nothing happened, right?"

It took a moment for Zuko to re-construe Aang's words as asking for confirmation that no spirits had overwhelmed Katara; not asking if they were caught embracing in the hall to reaffirm their relationship.

"She was fine. Actually, when we bumped into each other, she was on her way back," Zuko replied calmly. He gave Sokka a small bow as a greeting. "I believe she was looking for you."

Both the Avatar and the firebender caught the grimace on Sokka's face. "She's not mad, is she?"

"That's something you'll have to take up with her," Zuko grinned. "But she wasn't happy," he added.

Sokka let out a groan and returned to his seat. Aang sat up straight and smiled. "So, how was your walk with her then? Did you see her interact with spirits?"

Sokka ran a hand down his face. "I couldn't see them," he said, somewhat irritated. "I saw Katara look in a direction and I heard her talk for a little bit, but that was it."

"That pretty common. Katara's learned to read the reactions of people around a spirit to assess whether or not the person she sees is actually 'there'," Aang explained. "We're hoping that she can learn to tell a spirit apart without depending on others."

"We've had instances where it has been overwhelming, but those are rare," Zuko added. "I was reading that the more powerful a spirit is, the more they can communicate and move about, as well as stand out to a person with a vision."

"Sokka, maybe you can tell us more about what Katara saw or how she reached when she was a child," Aang suggested. "From another person's point of view."

"Well," the ambassador mused. "I can't say much. It was very confusing to Katara once she realized that others didn't see what she could. She'd panic. She'd even panic in her sleep."

"Come to think of it, when Katara sleeps, she's pretty calm," Aang thought a loud. "I don't recall her really waking in and screaming or fighting, as she said she did when she was a child, when she's around us."

"Perhaps it is because you are the Avatar!" Sokka piped.

"He's just the Avatar and a link to the spirit world, not a lucky charm," Zuko sighed. "She has calmed down and has been more focused on her reaction. Perhaps because of that, spirits aren't attracted to her as much?"

"A peaceful heart is less attractive to unsettled spirits," Aang offered. "It could be the case."

"So, has Katara really helped the dead find peace? How does she do that?" Sokka asked.

"It depends on the situation and what the spirit is trying to find. Sometimes, it is an object they lost and are searching for, sometimes, they just want closure," Aang explained. "There have been cases where they needed Katara to do something for them; to finish something they could not in their lives."

"It hasn't been dangerous for her, has it?" Sokka frowned. "In her letters, she's mentioned improvement and a few instances, but I know she's not one to give every detail to our parents, especially if they could be worrisome."

Aang glanced at Zuko briefly. "I admit, she's done somewhat reckless things."

"I knew it," Sokka groaned.

"However, when it comes down to it, she's not alone," Aang stressed. "I try my best to be of assistance and Zuko hardly ever leaves her side." A pair of blue eyes turned towards the firebender suspiciously.

Zuko silently wished Aang hadn't mentioned that. "We also spar together," he added, as if to justify why he was always around Katara. "Your sister is an excellent waterbender."

Sokka seemed to sit up proudly. "Of course she is! She's trained by the best. You know she's considered a prodigy?"

"I've heard," Zuko drawled.

"We got to see her bend plants at the Northern Tribe," Aang said. "It was pretty amazing."

Sokka nodded eagerly, but slowly drew back in his seat. "By the way, how was she up there?" he asked carefully. "I know that when she was a child, before her vision was sealed, there were a lot of things that she saw there that upset her."

"She handled it very well and even managed to help some of the spirits find peace," Aang smiled proudly. Sokka looked relieved. "Even the ones that were in your grandfather's house."

Sokka felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand. His eyes crinkled up. "There were ghosts in that house?" he asked weakly.

Aang nodded and looked at him, bemused. "Didn't you know?"

"Well...it's been a while since we were there and Katara had her vision," Sokka stammered. "I remember that she had the same reactions she did as a child the first few times we went, but I always thought that the spirits had purposely sought her out."

"Don't worry, Sokka. Katara's reactions this time were much better. She even managed to put to rest that female ghost that was stalking-"

"Your house," Zuko cut in quickly. "She was lingering around yourself and Katara put her to rest." He shot Aang a slight glare and the Avatar smiled weakly.

"That's comforting to know. I don't want to admit it, but whenever Katara starts interacting with one, either screaming or when she was talking, it's still unsettling. I can't see anyone in front of her," Sokka sighed heavily. "And then knowing they are restless spirits..." He shuddered.

Aang chuckled. "I admit, it does look a bit odd to someone who can't see them."

"When I was on my way back, I ran into some men closing up their vegetable cart. They were talking about a Water Tribe woman they saw laughing and talking to a street corner," Sokka frowned. He shook his head slightly. "I don't know how she can do it. Even knowing the situation, it's hard to believe. What more when you don't?"

"Talking  _and_  laughing to a street corner?" Zuko piped. It wasn't that Sokka pointed out how insane his sister probably appeared - it was something he, Aang, and Katara already knew, it was that Katara was doing more than just talking. Meaning, the conversation wasn't one-sided or a simple one. "Are you sure it was Katara?"

"When I described her to ask if they knew where she went, they said it was her," Sokka replied.

She didn't mention such an interaction earlier. Silently, Zuko made a note to ask about it later.

Across from him, Sokka smiled slightly. "But, she does look much better," he said softly. He sat up straight and looked back at Aang and Zuko, who sat across from him. He bowed his head low. "Thank you both for helping her."

Aang looked pleased. "It's my pleasure. Katara just needed a purpose with her vision and, even though we try to accompany her everywhere, she has found the strength within herself to react to those that reach out to her. It's very impressive, actually."

"It looks like she's come very far from when she was a child," Sokka admitted. "I was really worried, actually." He chuckled and shook his head. "When she left to seek you out, I wasn't really sure you could help, but...I can't deny the results."

"It's not just me," Aang piped. He motioned to Zuko, who was seated beside him. "Zuko has been very supportive, as well."

"Yes, thank you, Your Highness," Sokka bowed in his direction once again. "As Katara's brother, I can't thank you enough. Seeing her lively, regardless of her sight, is very reassuring. I'm sure the entire family will be happy to hear it."

Zuko gave him a nod. "It is an honor to be of help."

"The family has struggled with this, as well," Sokka added. "Most prominently our grandfather. Katara's kind of his favorite," Sokka chuckled. "I'm sure he'll be relieved to hear about this, especially now that he's decided that she's ready."

Aang looked curious as Zuko thanked a servant for some tea.. "Ready for what?"

"Marriage," Sokka piped. Zuko nearly sputtered out his beverage. "She's over the usual engagement age, but it looks like our grandfather and father are looking at prospective matches."

* * *

"Good night, Sokka." Zuko lingered in the open hall facing the villas. This was far more awkward than he thought it would be.

Conversations around the dinner table revolved around the next night's festival and blessing procession, so he had no time to ask Katara about her interactions with spirits that day; particularly the one where she had a verbal exchange and laughed.

He had found it unsettling. Since they had met, the only spirit Katara had actually verbally communicated with intelligently had been Yugoda and that had been in a strong spiritual center. There was enough spiritual energy there to give Yugoda power not only to linger for so long, waiting for Katara, but to teach Katara a bending style and speak to her.

They were in Ba Sing Se and even if the entire city was built on an ancient spiritual site, part of him couldn't shake the feeling that whoever Katara had been talking to on that corner had targeted her for less than honorable reasons. It was noisy and probably none of his business, but he couldn't ignore the nagging feeling.

After Katara and Sokka excused themselves and headed to their respective villas, Zuko followed. He had initially planned to intercept Katara before she reached her villa, but Sokka had walked her all the way to her door and Zuko couldn't bring himself to interrupt.

All he could do was wait for the Water Tribesman to leave and completely disappear from view before Zuko dared approach Katara's villa. He didn't want Sokka to get the wrong idea.

When he was sure the ambassador was out of sight, Zuko emerged from the hall, quietly berating himself for looking rather suspicious for approaching a young woman's private villa at night. Luckily, the guards recognized him and allowed him to knock at the door.

He heard footsteps approaching. "What is it, Sokka?" her voice sighed as she neared the door. It was pulled open to reveal the waterbender in an open robe over her usual sleepwear. Her hair was down and Zuko reasoned it was probably because she had been brushing it before she went to bed, as usual. Her exasperated expression turned confused as she saw a man who was not her brother at the door. "Zuko?"

"Sorry to bother you," he said as he lifted a hand to half-heartedly greet her. Him standing at her doorstep at night probably didn't make for the best impression. He crinkled his eyes and forced himself to get to the point. "Do you have a moment?"

She nodded her head solemnly and stepped aside, motioning for him to enter. Zuko gave her a small bow of thanks and stepped through the door. "Something on your mind?" Katara asked, somewhat amused as she closed the door behind them. She watched as he awkwardly looked around and tried to find a place to stand without looking completely out of place. Perhaps being in a woman's villa alone was too much for him. A small grin tugged at her lips.

"I wanted to ask you something earlier, but didn't have time. I'm sorry to come so late," Zuko told her apologetically.

She raised a brow. "If it's about sparring, Zuko, it's too late. I'm already comfortable and I'm going to sleep soon," she pointed out as she crossed her arms.

"It's not about sparring," he grumbled. "I just wanted to know how your day went...with...spirits," he struggled to explain.

She gave him a confused look as she uncrossed her arms. "Didn't I already tell you? There was a little girl, remember?"

"Did she talk to you?" Zuko asked. Katara nodded.

"Just a few words. She couldn't say much," the waterbender explained. She cocked her head to the side. "Why?"

"I'm just wondering. You know, about what I read about Ba Sing Se being built atop an old spiritual center," Zuko offered.

Katara smiled softly. "Zuko, it's fine," she assured him as she stepped forward. "I'm okay. I don't mind seeing them if I can help them."

Her warm hand cupped the side of his face and Zuko turned his head, pressing his lips against her palm as his hand covered hers. "You seem happy," he murmured as his eyes met hers.

"I was happy to help her," Katara said. "I admit, it felt very good. I felt I did something, you know. I made a difference. Someone is at peace because I helped. I actually kept smiling afterwards."

He mirrored her smile as he pulled her hand from his cheek and wove his fingers through hers. "Did you laugh too?"

"Laugh?" Katara raised a brow. "Why would I laugh? It was still a serious moment, Zuko." She felt his hand tighten for just a moment. Her eyes darted to their joined hands. "Zuko?"

"Weren't you on a street corner?" he asked, pulling back slightly. Katara shook her head.

"It was at an old park, actually," she replied. "Why?"

A small part of him began to fill with dread. "Are you sure you didn't have any more such contact with spirits this time?"

Katara raised a brow. "I'm sure, Zuko." She faltered as her eyes crinkled up. "At least, I'm pretty sure." She looked down as she tried to recalled anyone she may have felt different around that day.

Zuko bit his lower lip. Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe Sokka had heard wrong or those men had no idea what they were talking about.

"I take it that there isn't much change in deciphering the living form the non-living, then," he offered. Katara shook her head disappointed. "Maybe tomorrow will be different. We'll be with the monks on their procession. Aang had mentioned that the spiritual energy may be high."

Katara looked back up at him. "You'll be joining us?"

He gave her a curious look. "Am I not supposed to?"

"No, no!" Katara insisted. "I was just surprised...I mean...you'll be with us and the Emperor and the Avatar. What if other Fire Nation citizens recognize you?"

"In that crowded a procession, even if they do, it's still questionable," Zuko assured her. "I'll try to stay somewhere unassuming."

"No, you won't," Katara said as she grasped his hands. "You're sitting with me, Aang, and Sokka, up with the King and Queen."

Zuko mulled over it. "I suppose it can't hurt. We're only going halfway, aren't we."

"Yes," Katara nodded.

"Afterwards, I was going to look around the festival at the Upper Ring park." He let out a sigh. "I have some business to deal with."

"The whole time?" Katara asked. "Come with me and Sokka. We're going to wander around the middle."

"Is that alright?"

"Sokka won't mind."

"I meant with your vision. It's on a highly spiritual night. I don't doubt that the number of spirits you're going to see will increase," he warned knowingly. Katara took a deep breath.

"It'll be good for me," she said. "And if you're concerned, you can come to make sure."

Zuko looked unconvinced. "What is down there that you can't get up here?"

Katara lifted her chin. "Really delicious grilled pentapus balls." Zuko narrowed his eyes and she grinned. "I know a guy. His friends have a booth, so come try them with me." She smirked. "We can get some and not give Sokka any as payback for leaving me behind today."

Zuko chuckled. "Alright. Let me run my errand at the park and I'll meet you at the gate."

"Great," Katara beamed. "Bring your money pouch."

He let out a snort and pulled his hands from hers. "Just don't start eating without me," he rolled his eyes. He stepped back and gave her a small bow. "I'm going to head to my villa and get some rest," he said as he stood up straight. "Get some sleep."

As he turned around and headed for the door, Katara took a few quick steps forward and reached for him.

"Zuko," she called out. He turned around, his hand resting on the door handle. Katara lowered her arm slowly and then bowed. "I really am sorry for not addressing what happened between us on Appa and avoiding you for days. I started it and-"

"Katara," Zuko cut her off firmly. "Don't forget that I reciprocated." She lifted her head warily and met his eyes. The young man shifted awkwardly and lowered his eyes. "And...I enjoyed it, too." Katara's face filled with surprise as it heated up instantly. Zuko let out cough and turned towards the door, immediately seeking a distraction. "Um...Get some rest, Katara."

The door was pulled open quickly and Zuko seemed to flee. Katara could only remain staring after him as he stumbled down her steps, too eager to leave, and then fall.

"Your Highness, are you alright-" one of the guards began as he reached for the fallen man.

"I'm fine!" Zuko insisted, red-faced with humiliation as he pushed himself up. Had Katara seen that? Please, let Katara have not seen that. He straightened his hair and quickly brushed off his clothes before turning back to the open door, and meeting Katara's eyes once more. She  _had_ seen it. Zuko straightened up in an effort to regain some pride. The two held each other's gaze for a moment longer before Zuko gave her a more formal bow. "Good night, Katara."

She smiled softly as the flush seemed to settle over her body. He watched her soft, pink lips part as she whispered. "Goodnight, Zuko."

He remained standing in front of her villa until her door closed and the light through the covered windows went out. His heart was racing, he was embarrassed and, yet, elated at the same time.

It was clear now that he was feeling something more for Katara than just friendship.

And a small part of him prayed that she felt the same.


	10. Chapter Ten

"Ambassador Sokka." Another knock came from his door and the man sprawled across his bed, on his stomach let out a tired groan to acknowledge it. "Ambassador Sokka, are you awake?"

His heavy eyes opened and rolled over, turning his head towards the door. "Katara?" That was odd. Usually, his sister would simply enter his room and bend water on his face until he got up.

"Ambassador Sokka, Miss Katara sent me to wake you for breakfast!" The man pushed himself into a sitting position and furrowed his brows.

"What?" he grumbled. She hadn't done that before. Kicking his sheets off him, he quickly changed his clothes and headed to the wash basin. After a few splashes of water and a quick dry with a clean towel, he rushed to shove on his boots and came out of his villa.

"Good morning, Ambassador," a green and gold clad servant bowed as he stepped outside. "Breakfast is now being served."

"Where is my sister?" Sokka asked instead. The servant remained bowing.

"Miss Katara is sparing with His Highness, Prince Zuko in the eastern courtyard, Ambassador. I was sent at her request to wake you for breakfast."

"Sparing?" Sokka raised a brow. At least their grandfather would be pleased to know that she wasn't letting her waterbending skills dull. "Take me to the eastern courtyard. I'll pick up my sister on the way to the dining hall."

"Yes, Ambassador." The servant stood up straight and turned around, walking a few steps in front of the brown-haired young man as they wove through the numerous paths, gardens, halls, and courts to finally get to a wide, open courtyard.

Sokka could hear the sound of water roaring and fire crackling before he actually saw them. He emerged into the open hall overlooking the large courtyard and saw the two people circling each other in the center of the stone paved yard. Guards flanking the steps, one on each side of the courtyard, that lead down to the court remained motionless and trusting that the two benders would not accidentally injure them.

Around the open hall, on the level where he stood behind a wooden railing, numerous courtiers and various staff had stopped to watch the Fire Nation prince and the Water Tribe prodigy battle it out.

Sokka narrowed his eyes. Zuko was good...far better than he had expected, Sokka realized. He matched Katara's pace well, despite their different styles. Zuko was more aggressive, but Katara's offenses were impeccable. The ambassador leaned forward against the railing, analyzing the two different styles.

Zuko really must've been Azula's brother. Their styles had the same basic foundation. Sokka had seen the princess spar with Katara before and while her blue fire was more impressive and calculated, it didn't flow with Katara's bending as well as Zuko's. His style was a bit more free and thus, open to adaptation, whereas Azula's was more formal and rigid.

As a result, Zuko was able to not only keep up with Katara - an acknowledged prodigy, but put her on the offensive more than just a few times. Sokka furrowed his brows. Was Zuko a firebending master?

In the courtyard, the two took a moment to readjust their stances and collect themselves in preparation for another bout.

"Your brother is up there," Zuko said as his chest rose and fell with a heavy breath. "It must be time for breakfast."

Katara stood several paces from him, sweat sliding down the sides of her face as she relished the burning feeling of oxygen filling her lungs after such a fight. "Breakfast? Are you so tired that you're going to try to distract me?" she smirked.

He raised a brow. "I'm not the one flushed and panting."

"I'm not panting, I'm trying to calm myself," Katara countered. She lifted her arms. "I can still go on."

"The one who becomes tired first loses," Zuko pointed out smugly before rushing forward.

Katara adjusted her foot, realigning her shoulders over her hips as she prepared for the attack. Zuko jumped and kicked, sending a small vortex of fire towards her. Her arms flew down at her sides and then quickly rose, commanding water from the surrounding clay jars that lined the courtyard.

"You guys!" a voice exclaimed. The two benders barely heard the exasperated cry before a swift gust of water dissipated Zuko's attack. Cracking was heard as the water Katara had pulled up suddenly froze in the middle of the offensive movement.

Zuko landed several paces from the waterbender and turned to his right. Aang was jogging towards them from one of the set of steps. The firebender's lips tightened as he stood up straight.

"What is it?" he asked. He could see Katara approaching from the corner of his eye. "Is something wrong?"

"Didn't you hear me calling you?" Aang asked as he reached them.

"We were concentrated," Zuko offered. "What's going on?"

"I know I haven't asked much of you to since he arrived," Aang began hesitantly. "But today, with the prayers and the temple visits, I'm short on time."

"What do you need us to do?" Katara asked brightly. "We are here to aid you, too, you know."

Aang nodded, but still remained reluctant. He had to be careful what he asked of Katara, so as not to add unnecessary pressure on her vision. "I have to go to Lake Laogai with the imperial priests. I'll be back in time for the procession to start, but Appa needs to be prepared. He had a special saddle and garlands that the temple has prepared for the celebration," he explained. "But you know Appa. He's kind of sensitive about who grooms him. I think he'll feel more comfortable if one of you is with him when they're preparing him."

"I can do that," Zuko volunteered immediately. "At what time should I go to the stables?"

"The preparations will happen in the central courtyard," Aang said. "The handlers will bring him there."

"Then I'll meet them there," Zuko asserted.

"Do you need me to go, as well?" Katara asked. Aang shook his head.

"I just wanted at least one of you there for Appa," he said. "Oh, but the Queen is waiting for you in the dining hall. She would like to speak to you."

"Me?" Katara asked. She glanced at Zuko, giving him a slightly concerned look before turning back to Aang. "Did she say why?"

"Nevermind that," Zuko said as he ushered her towards the stairs. "You cannot keep the Queen waiting."

"Right!" Katara nodded dumbly as she made a beeline towards the steps. "I'll meet you both at breakfast!" she called over her shoulder as she rushed off.

As she disappeared up the stairs, Zuko raised his arm to beckon a servant who had been standing to the side, holding his outer robes.

"Do you know what time I need to be there?" he asked the Avatar as he gave the servant a small, acknowledging nod of his head before gathering the robe and draping it over one arm. The sparring had gotten his blood pumping and he was still heated.

"The Queen said that she will have someone send for you once the preparations begin," Aang told him. He tilted his head to the side and looked at the firebender curiously. "How long have you two been out here?"

"Since dawn," Zuko said. A low grumble filled the air between them and his cheeks reddened slightly. Aang let out a muffled chuckle. "I suppose it is time for breakfast."

"There is still plenty," Aang replied as they made their way up the steps. "Katara's brother hasn't seemed to have arrived, yet, either."

They reached the top of the stairs and enthusiastic clapping could be heard from hall, to their left. Both young men turned in the direction of the clapping and saw a smiling Water Tribe Ambassador eagerly rushing forward to greet them.

"I heard you were a firebender, but wow," Sokka beamed. "I have to say, that was pretty impressive. Are you a master?"

"No," Zuko answered quickly as gave Sokka a nod, but continued down the hall. "I haven't been tested for such a rank," he answered calmly.

"You should look into it," Sokka suggested as he followed behind them. "I'm not a bender, but I know ability when I see it. Very few can match my sister's pace. I see her time away hasn't deteriorated her skill any less."

"You don't have to worry about that," Aang assured him. Zuko nodded in agreement as he held out his outer robes and easily slide his arms through. "Katara practices often, even when we're traveling."

Sokka chuckled and nodded. "That's good to hear. I can't really expect anything less of her, though. She's always been very diligent in her bending."

They turned a corner and stepped through a tall set of wooden double doors that led into the dining hall where they had breakfast. Katara was seated to the right of the Earth Queen and was nodding as Queen June seemed to explain something to her.

As the three young men entered, the black-haired woman raised her head and gave them all a small nod as they stopped at the end of the table and bowed respectfully before proceeding further.

"Good morning, Prince Zuko. Ambassador Sokka," the royal greeted. "Please join us for breakfast."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Zuko and Sokka replied as they stood up. They rounded the table and Zuko barely caught himself from circling to the side where Katara sat.

Obviously, Sokka, her brother, would be the one to take that seat. Not him. Silently, he moved to the other side, opting instead to sit across from her.

"The high priests are waiting for me in the lower court," Aang told them. "I will see you all later tonight."

"Thank you for your blessings, Avatar," the Queen nodded to him once before, allowing for Aang to bow a second time and then leave. "Now, as I was saying," the older woman told the waterbender. "As the daughter of the Southern Tribe's chief, I would be most honored for you to join me in today's cleansing rituals before the procession."

"I would be most honored, Your Highness," Katara replied. "But there was a request of the Avatar's that I wished to do."

Zuko looked up from his plate. A servant was on either side of him; one pouring him some tea and the other placing some food on his plate. His lips tightened.

"If this is about Appa, I had volunteered to meet the handlers in the courtyard," he told her. "Both of us aren't necessary, Katara. You should join the Queen," he urged.

Katara looked hesitant and Queen June pressed. "I assure you, you will of course have time to prepare for the procession tonight."

Katara let out a slow, low breath and finally smiled. "Alright, I'd be happy to accompany you, your highness."

"Wonderful," the older woman acknowledged. "I've already selected a wonderful set of robes I think you'll enjoy." A small snicker escaped her brother's lips, knowing her sister wasn't very much into formal dress.

"But, not to worry, Ambassador and your highness, as well," the queen's red lips tugged into a smug smirk. "I've had some prepared for you, as well."

* * *

Considering what he had seen Sokka prepare to wear to the procession, Zuko had silently thanked the queen for her pre-emptive fashion intrusion. They all had clothes for travel and some functional court robes, but nothing for a highly formal procession through the city.

All the robes they had been provided fit well and had been designed to match their nation of origin. Sokka's robes were blue and he wore his own animal pelt over it as a personal touch, Zuko's robes were red and black with gold embroidery, and Aang was wearing orange. Katara had yet to arrive to the courtyard, but the banished prince figured she would be wearing something similar to her brother.

"We're going to be riding on this?" the said man's voice asked in awe. Zuko stood the side, holding back an amused smile as he watched Katara's brother look up at the large, flying bison wearing garlands of gold and red flowers and a new, elaborate saddle complete with a roof and tassels.

Aang nodded enthusiastically as he scratched Appa's chin. The Avatar was dressed in bright orange robes, beads, and a hat usually reserved for festivities for Airbenders. His clothing was far more elaborate for that festival night.

"Yes! Appa will take part in the procession. I'll go all the way to the agrarian fields with them," Aang explained.

Sokka eyed the beast suspiciously. "Then...he's not going to fly?"

"Not until afterwards," the young avatar replied. "You're welcomed to stay on board with us, though!"

The ambassador looked torn. Part of him wanted to take Aang up on his offer and then have a chance to fly on the bison. However, another part of him felt he should stay with his sister. Katara wouldn't be disembarking until they were in the middle tier and who knew what she would see then?

"Katara isn't going all the way down," Sokka said aloud. "I think I should stay with her when we reach the middle ring and go back."

"Don't let me hold you back, Sokka," a voice said behind him. The three men waiting with the sky bison in the large, open court in front of the palace turned around. "When's the next time you'll get a chance to ride a sky bison?"

"There you are!" Sokka exclaimed as he threw his arms into the air dramatically. "We've been waiting forever for you! Where have you been?" Katara sent him a tired look as she carefully approached them. Her shoes were elevated - a new style, the Earth Queen had assured her, but it was not one she was used to.

Katara had spent some time carefully walking in the embroidered, elevated slippers. She swore it had taken her twice as long to get to the courtyard because of the careful steps she had to take. The layers of even more heavily embroidered silk robes made the task a bit trickier. Still, she hadn't fallen flat on her face yet. She supposed the robes and the elaborately coiled and pinned hairstyle she had been given helped. They at least forced her to maintain a proper posture, which helped her balance.

Bending would be difficult, but she doubted she'd actually need to that night. At the most, she'd be walking and she wouldn't be in any rush.

"Did you forget? You were there when we were having breakfast. I was accompanying Her Highness, Queen June, for the day in preparation for the festival," Katara sighed heavily. "Don't you ever listen?"

"I do, but I didn't think you'd be gone the whole day," Sokka added. "I had a whole bowl of lychee and no one to help me peel them."

A pair of blue, deadpan eyes gave him a look. "Thank you for thinking of me," she muttered drolly. She reached their side and lifted her hand to playfully rub Appa's face. "But look at you, Appa. Don't you look handsome in your fancy new saddle!"

The air bison let out a snort and seemed pleased with the compliment. Aang chuckled as he finished looking over the saddle attachments. He bended some air beneath him and effortlessly hopped atop of the massive beast.

"Speaking of fancy," a voice said from Appa's other side. Katara craned her head around the furry creature and saw a curious-looking golden-eyed man peering from the other side. "Did you grow taller?"

Katara let out a snort and grasped the fabric of her outer blue robes. She tugged it up just enough to reveal the elevated slippers she was wearing. "Instant height," she grinned as she lifted up one foot and wiggled it around to show just how high the platforms were. "I think I'm taller than you now."

Zuko jerked his head back and gave her an indignant scoff. "You're going to need bigger shoes."

She tried to place her foot back down on to the brick floor only to waver in her stance and suddenly teeter to the side. Her eyes widened as her hands released her robes and flew to her sides in an attempt to steady herself. The weight of the heavy fabric tugged her down, further knocking her off balance, and Katara inwardly grimace.

She wasn't sure if she was more concerned about embarrassing herself with her clear clumsiness or that she'd ruin the finely embroidered robes she was borrowing. They were part of the royal collection and she was sure that she wouldn't be able to pay for them with her carefully budgeted travel funds.

A pair of arms slid beneath hers as she fell back. She felt a solid, but most importantly,  _sturdy_ body behind her that kept her steady and on her feet. He remained where he was, waiting for her to regain her footing.

"You didn't see that," she muttered as her feet settled on the ground and she regained her balance.

Zuko chuckled behind her, still holding her up by the elbows after he had rushed to her the moment he saw her about to fall. "Are you sure you can walk like that?"

"I just need to walk a bit slower," Katara assured him proudly. In front of them, Sokka began trying to climb up the side of the air bison by grasping at the animal's thick fur and pulling himself up.

"Is that why you took so long?" her brother grunted as his feet fought for a place to climb.

"Aang," Katara sighed as she watched her brother flail and then suddenly just slide to the ground against the beast. "Can you help, Sokka?"

"Sure!" the Avatar nodded as he moved his hands in a circle and extended his arms, lifting Sokka up with a gust of air

"Ahhh!" As expected, unused to the airbending, Sokka continued to flail as he was lifted off the ground and up towards the saddle. Frantically, he grasped for the edge and pulled himself against it before the air holding him vanished.

Zuko and Katara watched with unimpressed eyes as the young Ambassador barely managed to pull himself over the edge of the saddle and land ungracefully with a thud on it.

"He's never been the most elegant person," Katara admitted.

Zuko snorted. "Clearly," he muttered. "Alright, your turn," he said. He moved to Appa's head and scratched him gently against the chin. "Can you crouch down to let her on?" he asked.

Appa let out a gruff snort and bent his knees. Above them, they heard Sokka yelp as he was tossed around with the movement. "Sokka, just sit down and hold on!" Katara scolded from the ground. "You're going to fall off!"

"He's going too fast!"

"He's not going anywhere," Aang pointed out.

Zuko lifted his hand to summon some servants who were standing to the side. "Bring a step ladder for Lady Katara," he instructed.

"I can climb," Katara said, taking a step forward. "Just give me a boost."

"Not in those shoes," Zuko told her firmly. "You'll twist your ankle and fall. Just wait for the step ladder."

As much as she wanted to disagree with him, she knew he was right. Katara crossed her arms impatiently as Zuko easily climbed on to Appa. Two servants pushed forward a wooden step ladder for her and Katara begrudgingly climbed. She held on to the railing as she did so while her other hand carefully lifted up the hem of her robes to avoid stepping on them.

When she reached the top step, she looked up and was met with a small smile as a hand was extended towards her.

"Watch your step," Zuko said. For a moment she stood less than an arm's length from him, wondering why her face was heating up. Her smaller, brown hand reached out as her pink lips pulled into a soft smile.

"Thank you, Zu-"

"Katara, hurry up!" Sokka called from the front of saddle. He was looking over his shoulder, waving at her to quickly get into the saddle.

Zuko looked over his shoulder and raised a brow as Katara shot her brother a glare. "The gates haven't even opened yet!" she hissed back. She grabbed Zuko's hand to steady her before grasping the edge of her hem tighter and pulling it up to allow her access over the saddle edge.

One elevated shoe landed on the saddle and she immediately swayed as she tried to hop over.

"I've got you," a reassuring voice told her.

"I know," she nodded. In fact, she had counted on it. Zuko helped steady her and then held her hand and elbow firmly as he escorted her to a large, satin seat cushion beneath the covering.

Aang watched looked over his shoulder, making sure the two were balanced as Sokka jumped up behind him, exclaiming that the gates were open.

"Are you two ready back there?" he asked.

"Are your legs alright?" the black-haired man asked seriously.

"Yes, I'm good. Let me just...there," Katara finalized as she adjusted in her seat. She looked up at man kneeling beside her. "I'm good."

He smiled back and nodded before turning away. He shuffled to the seat beside her. "We're good, Aang!"

"Alright!" Aang beamed. He gently grasped the reins. "Appa, up!"

The massive beast swayed from side to side as he rose to his feet. Katara felt her body tilting to one side with the familiar movement and found that a hand had found hers. It wrapped around hers and seemed to keep her grounded as Appa rose. Blue eyes glanced from the pale hand covering hers to the man beside her, who was looking ahead curiously.

A small smile appeared at her lips. It was going to be a good night.

* * *

There were lanterns everywhere. Streamers of paper lined the streets and music intermingled seamlessly with the chants of the priests and the shouts of Ba Sing Se's enthusiastic citizens. Katara wasn't sure where to look; absolutely enthralled by the scenes around her.

Appa was marching dutifully behind the Royal Badger Mole, which was heavily decorated with tassels and silk blankets while the carrier situated on his back carried the Earth King and Queen.

Ahead of them were rows of monks and priests who were chanting and bestowing prayers to the people as they walked down the long, brilliantly decorated street. Incense could be smelled around them as temple attendants carried lightly smoking lanterns down the procession.

Aang graciously greeted the crowds with a smile and a nod. Behind him, perched in his formal blue-colored Earth Kingdom robes and an animal skin, was Sokka. He mirrored Aang's greetings, only far less subdued and, if someone were to ask his sister, embarrassingly enthusiastic.

Zuko caught Katara sending her brother a tired look as he stood up on the saddle and raised his arms energetically at the crowd. Grinning slightly, Zuko leaned over to the young woman seated in a kneeling position beside him.

"With all his flare, you'd think he was greeting  _his_ adoring fans," Zuko told her in a low voice.

A barely muffled snort and choked laughter escaped Katara before she could stop herself. She sent Zuko a look and gently leaned over, giving him a nudge. "He loves this sort of thing," she groaned. "I bet that's why Dad sent him."

"Well, he's doing a great job of representing your tribe," Zuko added.

"It's doing a bit much, I think," she snickered. Zuko chuckled along with her and squeezed her hand gently.

"I was thinking," he said as they lumbered along. "When we stop in the central square of the middle ring and Aang gets out to bless the temple, that would be a good place for us to head back."

"That's a good idea," Katara nodded. "It won't break the flow of the procession. Also, it'll be easy to find a rickshaw at the plaza."

"Oh, are you telling me that you can't walk back?" Zuko smirked.

"Well, would you like to try on my shoes and see how far you can get?" she asked smugly as she turned to look at him.

He seemed to momentarily contemplate it. "A rickshaw it is."

"Exactly." Katara chuckled and prepared to lean against his shoulder when Sokka suddenly whirled around. Zuko looked a bit amused as she sat up straight in her seat and looked at her brother attentively.

"Katara! Aang said after the temple blessing, we'll start flying!" he informed her excitedly. "Are you sure you don't want to go all the way down?"

Zuko frowned and Katara rolled her eyes. "I have to head back after we reach the middle ring temple," Katara stated. "Sokka, really...you know if it'll be too much if I continue."

"Oh," he flushed, embarrassed. He had forgotten. "Right...sorry."

"Nevermind that," she sighed. "Just continue with Aang. Zuko will escort me and he knows what to do if anything...odd happens." Beside her, the banished royal didn't say a word and she was silently thankful. Her brother seemed to contemplate it for a moment, before finally nodding.

"Remember, if it gets too much-"

"I'll go back to the palace," Katara assured him. "I know."

"And Prince Zuko, I'm counting on you," Sokka stressed. "Don't let her out of your sight."

"I'll be fine," Katara snapped. "Zuko is not in charge of me."

"I'm just taking precautions," Sokka said as he lifted his hands to appease her. He turned around in his seat and looked back towards the crowds, waving earnestly.

"I will take you back to the palace if it starts to overwhelm you, however," the man beside her pointed out quietly.

"I know," she stated. "But everything seems fine. To be honest, right now, even if there are spirits, they're too mingled in the crowd for me to single them out. There don't seem to be any that are approaching either."

Zuko looked back out at the streets filled with people and narrowed his eyes. Katara waved to those on her side of the saddle, confidently, but a small part of him became unsettled. "It's not the spirits that stay away that I'm worried about."

* * *

The smell of food was everywhere and Katara could almost feel the drool coming from the corner of her mouth with every breath she took filled with the delicious scent. There was grilled meat, vegetables with noodles, various street desserts that were calling to her. And where was she?

Sitting on a bench waiting for her would be escort to return from his errand in the upper ring. Katara rolled her eyes. First, he had to buy some colored ball and then ran off after promising it wouldn't take too long.

Blue eyes followed a cart selling meat buns and she subconsciously licked her lips. Maybe she should...no. Her hand went back to the small pouch of money hidden in her sleeve. She should wait for Zuko. Besides, he was supposed to pay for their pentapus balls. She just had to be patient. Her stomach began to gurgle.

Katara narrowed her eyes as she looked down and frowned at her offending midsection.

"From the sound of it, you're pretty hungry," a voice said behind her. "I think I know just the thing."

She turned around and smiled widely as she gave the young man a small bow of her head to greet him. "Jet!" she stood up carefully and brought her hands together in front of her before bowing once more. "Good evening! How has your festival been so far?"

"Busy and crowded," he told her, looking a bit overwhelmed. "Everyone is out tonight; I'm surprised people are able to walk."

Katara chuckled. "I take it your friends' pentapus balls stall is doing well?"

"Of course," Jet replied proudly as he circled the side of her bench and stopped in front of her. He lifted a hand to his chest. "I did choose the location after all. And I have excellent intuition for these sort of things, if I don't say so myself."

Katara furrowed her brows. "Wait, will they still have some by the time we get there? They won't run out, will they?"

"I hope not," Jet informed her. "So," he said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Ready to give them a try?"

Blue eyes glanced back towards the gate. "I'm still waiting for a friend of mine. He was going to join us and I said I'd wait for him here."

"Oh," Jet scratched his head thoughtfully. "Do you know how much longer? I'm sure Bee and Longshot will let us cut in line, but I don't know how quickly they'll sell out. They almost always do during this festival."

Katara silently yelled at Zuko. Honestly, he couldn't get his errand done before the festival? It wasn't as if he had a busy day at the spa, getting his hair done, or being fitted for a set of heavy robes with the Queen like she had. "I honestly don't know," she frowned. "I'm looking forward to the pentapus balls, too."

Jet furrowed his brows for a moment, thinking before smiling. "How does he look like? I'll ask some of the shops near-by to keep an eye out for him and send him towards my friends' stall."

Katara's eyes widened. "Really? Will they do that?"

"If you're okay with it," Jet said. "It's a pretty straight road to the the stall. As long as he follows it down, he'll get to there. There's a long line, so he can't miss it. If he's not there by the time we get some skewers, we can come back. We may run into him."

Katara rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Well...I am quite hungry...," she trailed. "And walking on these things will slow me down anyway," she added, motioning to her shoes. Jet chuckled. "Alright," Katara concluded. "Let's go!"

"Great," Jet smiled. "How does he look like?"

"Black hair, pale skin, burn scar over his left eye," Katara said, lifting her own hand to cover her left eye with his fingers. "About this tall...," She raised her hand, as if measuring his height. "Amber-gold eyes. He's wearing red robes for the festival, too."

"I'll let them know," Jet said as he stepped back, easily melting into the passing crowd. Katara carefully straightened her robes and looked up just as Jet reappeared. "Okay, follow me!"

Katara nodded and began after him. "Hey, Jet, can you slow down a bit?" she called. He looked over his shoulder and stopped. She could barely see the top of his head through the crowd.

"Sorry!" he smiled as he stood still. "Need help?"

"No, no, just give me a moment!" she assured him as she planted one foot flat on the ground before moving the other. "It's these shoes...!" He gave her a nod and waited until she managed to squeeze through to get to him. "I don't know how you're managing to get through so easily! These streets are packed!"

"I'm just used to it. It gets like this on market day mornings, too," he said. "But we're close. The plaza is up ahead."

"Alright!" Katara nodded.

His dark eyes glanced ahead of them and flickered back. "It's bottle-necking up ahead," he said, lifting a hand and pointing ahead of them. "Let's go around the building. They'll be less people if we go through one of the smaller alleys."

"Sounds like a plan!" Katara said as she fell behind once more. "Jet!" she called out. "Remember the shoes!"

He laughed and nodded. "Sorry, Katara. Just keep heading in this direction," he instructed. "It'll clear up! We'll have plenty of space to ourselves once we get off of the main street."

She nodded and managed to get through another cluster of people. "By the way, Jet, how much are the pentapus balls!?"

Several paces away, behind a small booth and beside a young man grilling some skewered pieces of pentapus balls over a grill, a young woman narrowed her eyes as she watched a brown-haired woman in fine blue robes step into an alley. She shook her head.

She must've been hearing things.

"Are you alright, Bee?" the man beside her asked in a low voice. He flipped over some pieces on the grill before handing a cooked skewer to a waiting customer.

"Yes," the thin young woman replied quickly. "I just thought I heard something."

The noise seemed to be left behind as Katara managed to step into one of the narrower alleys between the buildings. As Jet had told her, there were far less people and despite the smaller space, it was easier to get around.

"Better?" Jet asked as he walked ahead of her.

"Much," Katara admitted. She had bumped into a handful of people already and wasn't sure how much longer she would've been able to walk while trying to maneuver her way through. Perhaps she should've waited for Zuko. He would've stuck by her side and she could've used him as a crutch. The corners of her lips curled up slightly at the thought.

"Can you smell it?" another man's voice asked ahead of her. "My mouth is watering just smelling it."

Katara took a deep breath. "I don't smell anything..." Her brows furrowed. She had expected the scent of spiced, grilled meat mixed in the air, along with various other foods. Instead, she felt something heavier with a more distinct smell that permeated in temples and shrines. "Incense?"

"Well, no, but I wouldn't be surprised," Jet said as he lingered by a corner, waiting for her to catch up. "This is a festival said to bring out the spirits, so many people burn incense for the departed."

Something inside of her seemed tense up. Her stomach dropped just a bit, but pushed the feeling away. It was just her, she reasoned. And it wasn't as if the meaning of the festival wasn't something she already knew. It shouldn't have bothered her.

"I heard Ba Sing Se is built on sacred ruins," Katara said. Something was different. "So this is an important festival."

"It is the only day of the year when the spirits can be free," Jet told her as Katara reached him. She paused as she turned around.

"I can't hear the music any more," she said. There were musicians on the other side of the building. She had heard them clearly just moments earlier.

"It's the buildings," the man told her. "They do a good job of muffling the sound."

Katara lifted her hand to her head. She closed her eyes and stood in place. Her head began to hurt as each breath became deeper. "Can we stop for a moment? I feel a bit...light headed."

"You're just hungry," he told her. "Come on. We're almost there." Jet turned his back to her and rounded the corner.

Katara narrowed her eyes. "Jet, wait!" She moved after him and her feet stumbled against the hard packed dirt. Her arms flew to her sides to try to steady herself, but her vision suddenly swayed. One had immediately lifted to her head as she managed to regain her footing.

"Katara." She lifted her head once more and and froze.

A pale hand was extended towards her beckoning her forward. Black hair topped his head and red robes adorned his body. She was suddenly very confused. "Zuko?" she asked. Katara looked around, expecting to see the plain walls of a narrow alley.

Instead, she found herself back by the main gate. People were bustling around her, easily avoiding her as she stood in front of the bench where she had been waiting.

"What are you doing?" the black-haired bender asked with a curious look. "Aren't you hungry?" She bit her lips as she looked around once more. She could've sworn she had left that spot. "Katara? Are you alright?"

She turned back to him and forced a smile on her face. That sounded like Zuko. "Yes," she said as she nodded. "Sorry, I was just dozing off."

He nodded and lowered his hand. "Well, let's go."

* * *

He didn't think those children would want to play with him and after a quick round, he insisted he had to leave. The little boy continued to challenge him and then accuse him of being afraid to losing as he backed away, but Zuko didn't have time to humor the child.

Katara must've been starving by now. Zuka inwardly grimaced. She'd be upset with him.

That only made him move faster. He flashed his guest papers to the gatekeeper before slipping through the gates and reaching the designated bench where he had left Katara.

His run slowed to a stop as he reached the bench beside one of the buildings. Gold eyes narrowed as he looked around. Instead of a blue-clad brunette looking impatient and waiting with a look that demanded to know why he had taken so long, there was an elderly couple sharing some grilled cuttle-squid.

Katara was no where in sight.

Frowning, he approached the elderly couple. "Excuse me," he bowed respectfully. "I don't wish to bother you, but before you took this seat, was there a young woman here?" he asked. It would be very much like Katara to give up her bench, even with aching feet, to an elderly couple. "She has brown hair and was wearing blue robes?"

They shook her heads and Zuko ran a hand through his hair. Maybe she had gotten so hungry or bored waiting for him that she went to one of the surrounding booths or stores?

He dashed towards the nearest one, asking if someone matching Katara's description had come by. After going through three, he came to the small shop across from the bench.

"Welcome!" a teenage boy greeted automatically as he gave a little girl buying a toy some change. He gave Zuko a small bow of his head. "How may I help you?"

"I'm actually looking for someone," Zuko said. "She was sitting across the way, on that bench and was supposed to meet me there, but she seems to have left."

The teen furrowed his brows and cocked his head to the side. "A brunette in blue robes? Really fancy ones?" he asked.

Zuko's eyes widened as he nodded. "Yes, have you seen her? Did she come by?"

The teenager shook his head. "She looked like she was talking to someone for a while, but there didn't seem to be anywhere near her." The older man's face seemed to drain of color. "I saw her getting up and leaving and talking to someone named...Jet, I think?"

"Where...," Zuko barely managed to whisper out. "Where did she go?"

The black-haired teen pointed down the start of a crowded street. "Down the high street-"

Zuko gave him a quickly thanks and rushed out of the shop. His heart was racing as he cut through the mob of people going every which way. Every so often, he'd crane his neck upwards and stop - trying to catch a glimpse of deep blue, embroidered silk amongst a sea of more neutral greens and browns.

"Katara!" he shouted his eyes scanned the throngs of people. Dread was filling him quickly; he was unable to get the worst possible scenario of his head.

He shouldn't have left her. He should've stayed with her the entire time. His hands were shaking. He grit his teeth and shook his head. He had to stop. He couldn't think that way.

Katara was strong. She was stronger than she or anyone else knew and a small part of him ordered him to remember that. She would not fall so easily. Suppressing his anxiety, he continued down the street. There was a chance that she had gone directly to the pentapus balls stall she had been talking about.

Perhaps if he could find it -

"Ah!" A woman's voice sounded as his right side hit someone. Zuko immediately winced and turned around.

"Sorry!" he said. He bent down and extended his arms, reaching for a woman in white and peach who he had knocked to the ground. "I'm very sorry," he continued. "I didn't see you!"

"It's fine," the woman replied shakily. She allowed him to help her stand.

"Are you alright?" Zuko asked. "I really am sorry, miss-"

"I'm unhurt," she assured him as she clutched a small, wrapped package against her. "I wasn't paying attention myself. We were both at fault."

He released her arm once he was sure she was steady and nodded. "Once more, I'm sorry," he insisted. "Umm...," he hesitated. "By any chance is there a booth here that sells pentapus balls?"

Surprisingly, the woman's head shot up. Wide eyes looked at him, unsure if she had heard correctly. "Pentapus balls?" she asked, her voice suddenly hoarse. "Why?"

"I'm looking for someone and she said she was going to get some," Zuko explained. "Perhaps you've seen her? She's Water Tribe and was dressed in blue?"

"I'm afraid not," the woman shook her head. "But there is a very popular stall that sells grilled pentapus balls here. It's not far."

"Can you show me where it is?" Zuko asked eagerly. "Please, I really need to find her!"

Though slightly taken aback by his urgency, the woman nodded. She lowered her eyes and gripped the paper package once more. "It's in the plaza. Please follow me..."

"Thank you," Zuko lowered his head and gave her a bow. She kept her head down as she led him through the crowd.

"There!" she said as they reached the edge of a plaza, reaching over the crowd to motion towards a stall in the corner. Three people were behind it and all looked quite busy either taking money and dealing with customers, grilling, or preparing the skewers. A long line seemed to wind in front of them before becoming absorbed in the rest of the crowd.

"Thank you!" Zuko said. He moved in front of her. "Excuse me!" he shouted to the woman closest to him.

"Please wait in line," she answered sharply. Zuko narrowed his eyes. That was the same woman he had met the other day.

"Miss Smellerbee?" he asked. The woman lifted her head. "It is you!" Taking advantage of her attention, he quickly got to the point. "Have you see a woman come through here in blue robes with embroidery? She has brown hair and blue eyes -"

"You!" Zuko didn't have a chance to finish. The woman's eyes had grown wide as she yelled, earning her the attention of her husband beside her. Zuko jerked his head back, unsure if she were referring to him or not. "How dare you!?" she growled. She was looking past him. The brown-haired vendor nearly lunged at the white-dressed young woman who had been standing behind him. "How dare you show your face here!?"

Zuko turned around. The other woman had stepped back, her face pale as her eyes crinkled up. Her arms were up, as if awaiting the attack.

"Bee!" a deep voice sounded behind the female vendor. The thin man who had been grilling pentapus balls grabbed hold of his wife. "Smellerbee. Stop it."

"Let me go, Longshot!" Smellerbee demanded as her eyes glared daggers at the other woman.

"Pipsqueak," Longshot called over his shoulder. Zuko saw a large young man turn around from where he had been making balls out of spiced ground pentapus. "Watch the grill."

The larger man nodded his head before taking over Longshot's spot. The man held his wife back, keeping her away from the other woman as he led her away.

"Let's move somewhere, quieter," he told Zuko in a quiet voice. The scarred prince nodded solemnly, still surprised by Smellerbee's sudden attack.

"I just need to know where you saw her go," he said as he followed behind them. "Please, it's urgent!"

"I'm not telling you anything if you're with her!" Smellerbee hissed. "She ain't nothing but trouble!"

"If you're looking for her, she went behind the building," Longshot told him. Zuko turned to leave, but the other man continued quickly, stopping the banished prince before he could get away. "But she's probably no longer there. There aren't any festivities on that side."

Zuko turned around and gave him a disbelieving look. "She's not the type to take shortcuts in unfamiliar places," he frowned. "She must've gone back there for a reason."

Determined, Zuko began to head to the corner. The woman who had led him to the stall began to follow him. "I'll go with you!" she said shakily, glancing back unsurely at the couple.

Smellerbee's face filled with rage. "Don't you dare go back there!" she growled as she lunged forward once more, held back only by Longshot. "Stay away from him! Haven't you done enough!?"

The woman's pale face reddened as her eyes watered. Tears filled them almost immediately as she began to tremble. "I only way to pay my respects, Smellerbee!" she suddenly exclaimed as she stopped. "Please let me do this! I was kept away for so long - I never even had the chance to say goodbye to Jet!"

Zuko felt as if he had slammed into a wall. He stopped in his tracks and turned back. He looked at the trio with a terrified expression his face. His voice shook.

"Who?"

* * *

_Ba Sing Se, Three Years Earlier_

"You're going to ask her?" Smellerbee looked somewhat surprised as she looked up from where she was mixing a large pot filled with pureed pentapus and spices.

Jet nodded his head as the rest of his house mates, who had all packed into a small corner house they had purchased with their money earned from selling pentapus balls at their festival stand. Aside from him, the others were all working to prepare the food and equipment needed for that night's festival.

"I think it's about time, don't you think?" Jet asked as he paced the room. He didn't want to admit it, but he was a nervous. Honestly, who wouldn't be? He was going to ask the woman he loved to marry him.

"I think it's about time," Pipsqueak grinned from where he was splitting bamboo into thin skewers. Jet stopped and grinned lopsidedly, his eyes still showing a slight sad expression.

"What if she says no?" he asked. "There is always a chance she'll say no," he pointed out.

"There is no chance," Smellerbee assured him. "You've come a long way, Jet. You're capable and you're a good man. Look what you've done for all of us by yourself," she reminded him. "Song knows that. She'll say yes."

His expression softened. He  _had_ come a long way.

He came from the countryside with his family to get a job in the agrarian zone when he was just a child. At the time, there was a large gang war going on between powers that controlled the lower ring. His parents were killed when the owner of the land they farmed resisted the local gang leader.

In the middle of the night, they had burned that farm land and the small house his family was living in to the ground. His father had managed to get him out, but had run back to get his mother. The house collapsed on top of them and at seven years old, Jet found himself orphaned.

Like most others in his position, he took shelter with a street gang of like children and made a living hustling. He was twelve years old, when he met a girl his age in the lower ring. She was the daughter of a woman who ran an apothecary. It was a lucrative business, Jet had thought. After all, people needed medicine; therefore, she must've had money.

He still remembered how he tried to casually get on her good side; appearing where he knew she'd be and striking up a conversation. He wanted her trust if he was going to get at her money.

Surprisingly, Song kept refusing to buy into him. Every day, she walked the same route, gathering food and delivering medicine for her mother. Rain or shine, she diligently went about her duties. One day, when he was sixteen and with a healthy respect for her, he found her still delivering medicine while sick.

Infuriated that she would push herself to such lengths, he accompanied her through her route and ended up carrying her home when her fever became too much. When he asked why, she had told him that it was just her and mother. They spent all their money acquiring medicine that was difficult to get, so they couldn't afford to hire someone to do the deliveries.

He was sure that was the exact moment that he had fallen in love with her. A woman like her, he realized, who did good, honest work, would never look twice at him - a swindling thug, at best. Jet began to help the members of his little gang find decent jobs and even helped fund a few with the money he had hustled.

Smellerbee had a pentapus balls recipe that everyone liked and so he invested some money into buying her the equipment she needed to sell them at the next festival. Longshot, who would later ask her to marry him, helped run the booth. It did so well at the blessing festival that they were able to earn money to continue business.

Within three years, a merchant had sponsored them to move to the middle ring to help supply his restaurant with their food. Now that they were settled, he was hoping to bring Song and her mother up to the middle ring, as well.

If she said yes and they got married, it would be an easy matter to move her and his future mother-in-law from the lower ring.

"So, are you going to bring her by the booth tonight?" Pipsqueak asked.

"Later," Jet told them. "I need to talk to her first."

"Well, you better get going," Smellerbee told him. "The festival is going to start and you still need to get down there."

Jet nodded and took a deep breath to calm himself. He bowed to his friends. "Wish me luck!" A small chorus of well wishes were called after him as he walked out of the house.

He couldn't help but be both giddy and nervous as he made his way to the lower ring. He was wearing the best clothes he owned and hoped she wouldn't be upset for having not stopped by the last few weeks. He'd been working as much as he could in order to earn some money to buy that flat that faced the main street.

He figured her mother could use the lower floor as a store front for the apothecary and they could live in the upper floors. He hadn't reached his goal yet, but he had already talked to Mr. Chung about buying the space.

He showed his papers at the gate and followed the main, brightly lit and highly decorated street towards Song's house. Once he stepped off the main road, the streets were dirt and uneven. He could see her house up ahead and smiled. The door opened and a well-dressed man stepped out.

He could see Song's mother linger at the door, on her knees as she bowed her head to the man. Jet figured he must've bought a good deal of things from the woman. As the well-dressed man passed, Jet gave him a bow of his head, as if silently thanking him for his support.

Dark eyes merely narrowed and turned away with a sneer of disgust in response. Jet barely held back his snort. Wealthy didn't buy class, he supposed.

"Jet!" a surprised voice reached his ears and he turned towards the door. Song's mother sat up, her eyes wide as her worn fingers curled into the fabric of her clothes. "What are you doing here?"

"Auntie," he greeted respectfully as he gave her a bow of his head. He gave her a warm, genuine smile as he realized that by the end of the night, he'd have to ask to call her 'mother'. "Good evening."

"Good evening," she greeted shakily as her eyes darted around.

In his own nervousness, Jet didn't notice her skittish behaviour. "Is Song in? I was hoping to speak to her."

Hesitantly, the older woman nodded and motioned to the back room, where she and Song lived. Jet removed his shoes and bowed once more, thanking her before heading back. He slid a screen door open and found the lovely young woman in her usual peach and white clothes, sitting on her knees at a low table.

Her pale hands were even whiter as she clenched them on her lap. Jet's brows furrowed as he slowed his movements. "Song?" he asked softly. "Are you alright?" Slowly, she lifted her head and met his eyes. Panic filled him as he rushed forward. She had been crying.  _No_  - he shook his head as he landed roughly on his knees beside her and reached out to cup her face. "Song!?" She was  _still_  crying. "Song? What's wrong! Tell me!" he pleaded as he stroked her hair back, desperately hoping she'd respond.

"Jet," she rasped. Her pained eyes were boring into his. "I'm getting married."

* * *

He shook his head, clutching the nearly empty jug of alcohol at his side as he sat on the roof of their house. His face was hot and wet with angry, hateful tears as he stared at the thick, tall wall before him.

Right behind it was the upper ring...where  _she_  would go. He shook his head. He loved her. He had told her that and he thought she knew. He didn't understand why. Hadn't he straightened out for her? Hadn't he worked hard to prove himself capable? He was going to bring her with him, damn it! They were going to be happy!

The back of his hand wiped at his eyes as his vision blurred. Instead, she chose wealth over him. She willingly agreed to marry some old, middle-aged man for what? A chance to live up there!?

Bitterly, he flung his alcohol jar across over the alley and at the wall. The clay jar shattered against the heavy stone, leaving streaks of liquid marking where it had made impact. Jet choked out a cry as he unsteadily rose to his feet.

He could feel his body swaying; the alcohol taking effect on his motor skills. Despite it all, he could still feel the emptiness inside of him, but at the same time, the overwhelming pain. He didn't know it could hurt like that.

Tears continued pouring as he screamed her name into the night sky. If Song was on the over side of that wall, then all he had to do to see her was get over there. He stepped back and narrowed his eyes.

Jet stumbled over his own feet as he ran forward over the tiled roof. As he neared the edge, he pushed off and jumped.

* * *

_Ba Sing Se, Festival Night, Present_

" _Katara!"_ She could hear his voice once more and she smiled softly. She stopped in mid step, automatically turning towards the voice. "Katara, stop! Don't move!"

She furrowed her brows. Don't move? What was he talking about? Did he fall behind?

"Katara," his voice called once more, this time with less urgency. "Come on," he encouraged. "We're almost there."

She turned her head towards the man she had been following. "Did you just say something?" she asked. Didn't his voice come from behind her? All she could see before her was a crowded street she was making her way through. Zuko was several paces in front of her. She frowned. Hadn't she asked him to wait for her? "Zuko, wai-"

"Katara!" A frantic scream filled her senses as she was suddenly grabbed around the waist. She was pulled against someone as the grip tightened. Her hair was flying around her and her feet were no longer on solid ground. When did that happen?

A woman was screaming somewhere in the distance and Katara blinked. She turned her head and her vision focused on hard packed dirt she was rushing towards. Her eyes widened as every muscle in hier body froze.

Fire flew past her; its sudden gust sending her hair and the edges of her robes flying around her as the powerful blast slammed into the earth. A sudden pressure pushed up from the point of impact and slowed her descend just enough to make the landing less painful and avoid a fatal fall.

A body twisted under hers, cushioning her as it slammed into the ground beneath them. A groan reached her ears and the arm that had be wrapped securely around her loosened. Katara tried to scramble off, but felt her limbs suddenly heavy and her head spinning.

"Katara," a breathy voice whispered. "Are you alright?"

She made out his face as he laid on his back, grimacing from the impact. "Zuko?' she asked. She squinted her eyes. Everything was blurry. "What...?"

"Answer me," he choked out as he slowly turned his head towards her. Concerned gold eyes met hers. A trickle of blood came from a gash at his temple and her eyes widened. "Are you hurt?"

"Zuko, you're bleed-" A sharp gasp was forced out of her as his hand shot up and grasped her throat. "Zu..."

Panic seemed to fill Zuko's face as his eyes flew to his arm. "It's not me!" he choked out. "I...I can't let go!" Katara felt her stomach drop and her skin crawl as the man stood up, bringing her with him. Zuko's hand was shaking.

"Katara!" another voice shouted. "Bastard!" She could hear her brother yelling. "Let her go!"

"I can't let go! I can't move my arm!" Zuko shouted. He could feel his fingers wanting to squeeze her throat and gritted his teeth as he desperately fought against it.

"What's going on!?" the woman she had heard screaming earlier asked. "He just saved her! Why is he choking her!?"

"Zuko!" Sokka growled. "Let her go!"

"Sokka stop!" Aang skidded to stop in front of Sokka, holding out an arm as he narrowed his eyes and focused. "Something - someone is using Zuko."

"What are you talking about!?" Sokka growled. "He's lost his mind!" He reached into his inner robe and pulled out a whale tooth dagger.

"Sokka, do not rush him!" Aang yelled, taking a step back from where Zuko was holding Katara in his grip. "You'll endanger them!"

"I don't give a damn about Zuko!" Sokka yelled. "If I have to cut off his arm to get my sister-"

"If you rush forward, he might break her neck!" Aang pointed out. The Water Tribe warrior froze in his spot.

"Don't touch him!" Katara wheezed as she stood, balancing herself as carefully as she could on the tips of her shoes as a firm grip held her an arms length from the man who had just been holding her hand a few hours earlier. "Fall back, Sokka!"

Her brother looked torn. Aang's eyes lingered on the duo. "Who died here?" he asked the woman behind them. "You know, don't you? You're clutching incense."

The brown-haired woman grit her teeth. "Yes," she said. "He...he jumped off that building - the same one she tried to jump off."

Katara's eyes widened. She had tried to jump off a building? But she had just been following Zuko down a street... Her heart sank. It wasn't Zuko.

It was  _Jet_.

Katara closed her eyes, unsure if she felt more disappointment at herself for realizing it or anger for the same reason. He had seemed to real, so alive - she hadn't even considered him being a spirit. The pressure she had felt when she rounded the corner, the sudden unsteadiness...that was spiritual energy pressing on her.

He had died full of powerful emotion and on that night, when the spirits were at their strongest, he had led her away. Now, he was taking control of a living man's body.

"Katara," the black-haired man whispered. "Katara, I can't keep this up...I'm trying to fight him, but he's strong."

Katara slowly opened her eyes. She could see Jet right beside Zuko. A dark smoke was wrapped around the living man's body and she knew that the pressure was getting to him.

"What do you want of me, Jet?" Katara asked in a strained voice. "You led me here," she narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

"You could see me," Jet answered as his dark eyes glowered. "You acknowledged me."

"I can see the dead," Katara told him in a hushed voice. "That's why."

Zuko grimace. "Katara!" She felt his fingers squeeze her neck as his arm shook.

"What do you want?" Katara choked as her eyes watered.

"Come with me," Jet told her seriously. She had been falling, she remembered. Was that what he was trying to do? Kill her?

Her eyes flickered back to Zuko and his strained, terrified face. "Fine," Katara agreed. Jet narrowed his eyes. "You have my word! Release him and I'll go with you."

"No!" Zuko protested immediately. His hand was pried open and a second later, he was flying across the dirt and slamming back against the ring wall.

Katara stumbled back, teetering once more on her shoes and falling backwards as her hands reached towards him. "Zuko!" His body slumped down against the wall, limp and unmoving. "Zuko!" She crawled to her feet and tried to run towards him, only to feel a heavy pressure set over her body.

"I released him," Jet said behind her. "Now come with me," he ordered firmly.

Katara's body refused to move towards Zuko. She bit her lips as she turned around, back to the spirit beckoning her. "Why?" she asked. "What happened to you to make you do this?"

"He doesn't need you," Jet hissed. " _I'm_  the one who needs you."

"Tell me what happened!" Katara screamed. If she could find out - if she could put him to rest, then this would end; she  _knew_  that. She felt her leg take a step towards him. "Jet, tell me!"

"Jet?" the woman standing behind Sokka turned to the bender in blue, who seemed to be tense and fighting some invisible force. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she knew she heard that name. Song took a step forward, still clutching the incense against her chest. "Is Jet there?"

There was a desperation in her voice and for a moment, Sokka wondered if the woman had lost her mind, as well. "Who is this Jet?" he asked, still keeping his distance to avoid any provocation to his sister. "Was he the one who jumped off?" The woman slowly nodded and Sokka grinded his teeth. He needed to know more. "Answer me! My sister is in trouble!"

"Jet was the man I wanted to marry!" the woman cried out, jumping at Sokka's irritated growl. "I loved him!"

Katara turned towards the woman. "What's her name?" she wheezed. She could still feel Jet's eyes fixed on her. "What's her name?" she repeated, slower, as she turned back to him.

There was pain in his eye and she could feel the pressure around her ease as her question brought back a hurtful memory. "Song," Jet whispered. "She had...brown hair," he recalled sadly. "In a braid. She had beautiful eyes..."

"Three years ago, this night," another voice reached Katara's ears. "A man, a wealthy merchant, came to my family's store in the lower ring. He had seen me in his rounds purchasing goods and wanted to marry me. I had refused. I was...already in love with someone else."

Katara watched as Jet's focus moved from her and to the woman standing several paces away, with a forlorn expression on her face. Jet's eyes crinkled up as he seemed to recognize the woman in old, but familiar white and peach.

"Song?" he whispered. He didn't remember her face looking so worn.

The pressure continued to weaken and Katara turned back towards Zuko, only to feel her legs give way beneath her. She let out a pained breath as she landed.

"I had known Jet since my mother and I first came here. He was the first friend I made," Song choked out. "He always treated my mother with respect. Whenever he had extra food, he brought it to us because we were so poor." She lowered her head and shook it. "He told me he loved me and that...that after he managed to get into the middle ring, he would come back for me. He promised he would!"

"I did," Jet replied, unheard as he moved towards her. He held his hands out. "I did come back."

"I knew he was," Song asserted, fully believing in him. "But the man who had come...he knew how Jet and the others were able to move up. They have a small business. They worked  _so hard_ ," she stressed. "Just to get the business started and it was finally starting to pay off. The merchant was a wealthy, powerful man. He had ties to Ba Sing Se's underground. He said that if I refused him, he would ruin them and he  _would've_."

Jet's eyes widened. The business they had created supported more than just him. They wouldn't have been able to survive or move without it. It was something he always told Song about because he was so proud of it.

"Jet and the others depended on the business!" Song explained. "I couldn't let their lives be ruined! They'd have no home, they'd be shoved out of the middle ring, they'd go right back to where they wore after everything they did to try to make a better life for themselves - I couldn't let that happen!"

Katara could barely breathe. "You married that man to save them," she concluded. Her chest began to burn. Was she not getting enough air? Song nodded her head guiltily.

"We could've run away...all of us," Jet shook his head. "You didn't have to marry him. I could've  _protected_  you."

"I wasn't allowed to tell them and when I told Jet I was getting married, I had to tell him I didn't love him," the woman was breaking down. "I couldn't do anything! The merchant came and took me away the next morning. We were married that afternoon. I sent a message to Jet's house to ask him to forgiveness..." Song's face twisted with pain as she began to cry. Her face became red as she fell to her knees and dropped the packet of incense before her. "They told me he died the night before!" she sobbed. "I killed him!" Her cries filled the narrow hall. "It was my fault!"

Dull eyes stared down at her as the spirit loomed above her frail, crumbled body. Slowly, he seemed to begin to cry. His hand reached down and Katara could feel his heartache as his hand slipped right through Song. The spirit slowly lifted his hand, as if wondering why it had done so.

"It's not your fault," he muttered quietly. He shook his head as he knelt down in front of her. "I just missed you so much." He moved his hand over her face, hovering over her flushed, damp cheeks with a hand that couldn't touch her. "I'm sorry, Song," his voice trembled. "I didn't know..."

"I'll let you use me," another woman's voice said behind him. Katara seemed to drag her body across the ground, strained and tired.

"Katara!" Sokka darted forward and felt Aang hold him back as Katara yelled at him to stop.

"He needs to be put to rest!" she told them. Her eyes narrowed determinedly. "Jet!" she called out once more. "Use me!"

"Katara, stop," a voice groaned from the wall. Zuko stood up, shakily. "It's too draining."

"Sokka, help Zuko," Aang instructed. The blue-eyed man hesitated and Aang sent him a frown. "I'll keep an eye on Katara! Just help Zuko before he collapses again!"

"I'm fine!" the prince said as he moved towards Katara. "Just stop her! He's been under his influence for who knows how long. She can't keep it up!"

She ignored them easily. She was born with this gift. She struggled with it and at times, wished it wasn't hers, but she had it. And Katara would help whoever she could with it.

"If you want to tell her you love her once more, Jet,  _use me_!"

Jet turned around. He narrowed his eyes as he met Katara's, locking her eyes with his. They were the last things she saw as she took a breath. A moment later, she saw nothing else.

* * *

She felt heavy all over, as if she were physically tired and her muscles, while not aching, were simply too lazy to move with their normal speed. Not that she wanted them to. She was nestled and warm within a soft bed and she could feel the weight of a blanket over her. She was resting almost on her side, but was laid across something very warm and very comforting.

She wondered, briefly, it was was their dog from the South Pole. He was a big, lazy creature, but warm and whenever she was feeling down, he never failed to be at her side. The corners of her lips curled into a small smile as she nuzzled her living heater.

"Katara?" Odd, as dogs did not speak human tongue. "Are you awake?"

She tilted her head towards the voice and forced her heavy eyes to open. There was a blurry figure; pale with dark hair. From the shape of the body beneath her, he was male - and well muscled. Katara would've panicked if she didn't recognize him. Even if her half-asleep state and in the dim light, she knew who was beside her and rested easy.

"No," she answered and closed her eyes, opting to return to the sleep that still beckoned her.

Zuko didn't move from his spot, but lowered the book he had been reading. He was propped up against the headboard of Katara's bed, his back resting against a pile of luxurious pillows as sat beside her.

"It's still dark anyway," he conceded, placing his book on the nightstand, beside the lone lantern.

"Am I in my room?" she asked lazily. She felt his hand caress the back of her head.

"Yes, we brought you here after you passed out," Zuko answered calmly. "Jet possessed you for a bit. He said something to Song and then, suddenly, you collapsed." He paused and closed his eyes. He had nearly fallen over himself to get to her when she did. "Aang said the air was clear. The spirit was gone and he further blessed the area where Jet died."

Katara remained against him, trying to remember what had happened, but not recalling anything after the last time she met Jet's eyes. She tilted her head up. "Are you alright?" She would apologize for risking herself despite his pleas later.

She felt his arm tighten around her. "I'm fine now."

When she fell to the ground, Zuko had rushed to her and gathered her in his arms, refusing to let go even when Aang and her brother reached them.

Aang had rushed to get a carriage. Zuko had picked her up, determined to bring her back to the palace himself if needed. Her brother had demanded he hand over Katara as she was his sister and, though hesitant, Zuko conceded. After all, he was still weak and didn't want to drop her.

But Katara's hands clung to him. Her lips muttered his name and when they heard it, he had drawn her back against him. "I can carry her," Zuko had insisted. "She's familiar with me after such episodes," he had tried to reason.

Sokka had been too caught up in concern to question Zuko. The carriage had arrived and they piled in. Once they were back at the palace, Aang sent word to the King and Queen while Sokka and Zuko took Katara to her villa.

Neither man wanted to leave her side.

"What about everyone else?" Katara whispered quietly from where she rested against his stomach, her eyes fluttering closed.

"Everyone is alright," Zuko confirmed gently. "Aang says you'll be fine. You must need some rest as the experience was very mentally and emotionally draining. You know, same old, same old," he offered with a small chuckle.

He caught the faint smile on her lips at his sad attempt at a joke and was relieved. She opened her eyes once more and met his. "You stayed with me?" He nodded. "Thank you."

"Well," he smiled softly. He lifted his right hand. "You wouldn't let me go." Her small, brown one was against his; their fingers woven together comfortably. His other arm rested above her head, against some pillows, allowing his left hand to caress her head and stroke the side of her face.

She closed her eyes as she remembered the dreadful feeling that filled her when she saw him slide to the ground after being thrown against a wall. For a moment, she thought she had lost him. Katara's hand squeezed his. She knew how that would feel. "It was so sad, Zuko," she whispered. "He was so lonely and hurt."

"It doesn't matter now," Zuko assured her. "You helped him, Katara," he told her. "You helped put him to rest. He would've been trapped, filled with regret for eternity had you not come along."

"I wish I could've helped me more," she admitted. "He seemed so real...so alive. He was our age, Zuko. He was just like us...and he had died."

To Zuko, hearing the story from Song's mouth, it was a pointless death. If Jet had only waited, then they could've been together. Song was able to visit for the first time in three years because the man she had married, the wealthy merchant, had died. Song was now a widow.

"He was in love," Zuko said distractedly. "He thought he had lost the most important person to him, Katara." And while he couldn't see himself falling to his own death, part of Zuko could understand.

After all, he had no hesitation about jumping off the roof after Katara. The only person in his mind at that moment had been her.

"Aang had gone to check on Song after he made sure you were safe," he told the blue-eyed woman softly. "He said that she's safe, but emotionally...she may never get over what happened."

She turned her head against him and pressed her face against the side of his body, which she was still laying across. "I understand," Katara whispered. Both Jet and Song were hurt badly. Katara knew that even after their death, the ones who loved the deceased would live on and carry their memory, no matter how wonderful or how painful they were.

"It's still dark out," Zuko urged as his free hand stroked her hair once more. "Go back to sleep. I promise I won't go anywhere."

"What if you have to use the bathroom?"

"Sokka is the parlor outside your room," Zuko grinned. "He can hold on to your vice-like grip for a bit if I need to go."

Katara smiled tiredly as she evened her breathing. "So he didn't just leave me again."

"He refused to leave you alone like this...and with me." Katara chuckled. Zuko relaxed against her. "Katara..."

"Hmm?"

He paused. "What did Jet say to Song?" he asked.

The corners of her lips tugged up slightly. "I don't know," she admitted. Zuko looked back down at the woman in his arms. "But it brought him peace."

* * *

" _Live long and happy; we'll see each other again one day._

_When that time comes, I'll come to bring you home..._

_Just like I promised."_

* * *


	11. Chapter Eleven

He honestly wasn't sure how he should've felt when he looked at them. He was sure that any normal older brother would've thrown a fit if he found his unwed sister in bed with a man that she had introduced to him just a few days earlier. However, the situation wasn't that simple.

Katara found support and moments of peace with the black-haired firebender. Even the Avatar had told Sokka that the two had a close bond forged by mutual respect and trust. They hardly went anywhere without each other, Aang had told him.

Sokka also found no reason to dislike Zuko. He was somewhat serious, but respectful. He had good manners and, from what he had heard, he had jumped off a building to catch Katara and break her fall without hesitation. The man  _saved_  his sister.

And yet, despite what their physical actions implied - the hand holding, the hugging, the clinging on to each other in their sleep - neither spoke of the other in what Sokka would've considered romantic ways. The two benders almost seemed like they were simply very close friends.

_Almost._

Sokka stood at the threshold of his sister's bedroom door and found the familiar site of the two in her bed. Katara was well beneath her blanket and had wedged herself close to Zuko, who was sleeping on top of her blanket, but covered with his own.

Light snoring came from the two of them. Katara had an arm draped over Zuko's chest while she used one of his arms as a pillow. Both were still dressed in their sleep wear and nothing suspicious seemed to have taken place.

That was a good thing?

Sokka lifted one hand to the wooden door frame and knocked. A lazy groaned escaped Katara and she turned her head and buried it against the firebender's chest in an effort to try to ignore the outside world.

"Sokka?" the said firebender turned his head and squinted. At least Zuko could be counted on to respond.

"Mind helping me wake her up?" the blue-eyed brunette asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"It's early," Katara grumbled. "Come back later."

"I can't," her brother replied dully. "The ferry I need to take in order to catch the train to from the West Lake is leaving soon."

With that, Katara sat up in bed. Her eyes were wide and Sokka would've laughed at her unruly bedhead had he time. "You're leaving already!?" she choked out.

"I only extended my trip because you were here," he reminded her.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay longer? We're going to be leaving within a day or two," Zuko offered. "I'm sure the Avatar will be fine with you accompanying us, as we're traveling south."

"Yeah," Katara said as she pulled away from Zuko and slid her legs over the side of the bed. She slipped her feet into a pair of slippers and reached for her robe. Zuko stretched his arms as he moved to his edge of the bed. "Where are you going next?"

"The swamp," Sokka replied. "Then I'm taking a boat to Kyoshi Island before heading home. They have some new council members they want me to meet."

"Zuko, did Aang tell you where we're heading next?" Katara asked.

"Probably to one of the temples," Zuko shrugged. "We can check."

"Sorry, you two, but I don't have time to waste. I've already pushed back my travel plans," the blue-eyed man reminded them.

"Can you at least wait a few minutes?" Katara asked as she stumbled out of bed and towards a wooden wardrobe against the wall. "I'll come with you to the station."

Sokka was touched, but he was also hesitant. His eyes crinkled up and he prepared to tell her that it wasn't necessary, when Zuko spoke up. "I'll follow along," he said as he stood up beside the bed. He gave Sokka a small nod of his head, as if acknowledging the other man's concerns over Katara's vision. "Have you already had breakfast? There may be a tea house open near the station we can drop by before you leave."

A small smile tugged at Sokka's face and he thanked the spirits that Katara had someone like Zuko. He gave the scarred man a small bow of his head.

"Thanks," he replied. "But I had a really early one. The carriage to the station leaves soon, so I'll meet you two in the outer courtyard." He turned around and headed towards the door. "Don't take too long or I'll leave without you!"

"Alright!" Katara sighed as she pulled out her tunic and pants.

Zuko grabbed a bag that had been resting on a chair in the corner and went to change in the other room as Katara bent some water into a bowl to wash her face. He didn't bother closing the door behind him as he tossed his bag on another chair and began to change out of his nightwear.

"Katara!" he called out as he pulled his top off. "Did you want to come back for breakfast or did you want to get something to eat on the way back?"

"It's early, I don't think anything is open!" Katara called back. She finished tying her belt around her and began to dig around the wardrobe for her comb.

In the other room, Zuko made a mental note to tell one of the palace servants to have breakfast for them ready by the time they returned. With his boots finally tugged on, he began folding his sleep clothes and putting them back into his bag when he noticed a familiar whale bone comb on the chair.

"I told her not to just leave things lying around," he sighed to himself. He picked up the comb and turned back to the room. "Katara-"

"Zuko, I think I need to buy another comb," the young woman was frowning as she dug through one of the wardrobe drawers with her back to the doorway. "I can't find mine."

He raised a brow and lifted the comb as he moved to back to the bedroom. "Did you check the front room?"

Katara let out a scoff and turned around. "Why would it be in the..." She trailed off as she saw the comb in Zuko's hand. "You could've just told me you found it," she frowned.

"I told you not to leave things outside and you still did," he reminded her as he walked into the room. "Turn around."

She let out a small huff, but did as she was asked. A moment later, she felt the comb gently work the tangles from her hair and a warm hand move the thick locks aside. Zuko had become rather proficient at braiding her hair, but he still had problems with the hair loops. She thought they were the easiest part, but not so, according to Zuko.

When he released her braided hair, she immediately began to work on the hair loops as he made a show of returning her comb to the drawer - where it was supposed to be. She rolled her eyes.

"Let's go," she snorted as she headed to the front. Zuko followed after her. By the time they reached the outer courtyard, a sleepy Earth King and a more awake Earth Queen were bidding Sokka good-bye. Aang was standing with them, petting one of the ostrich horses that would pull Sokka's carriage to the station.

"Are you sure you don't want to bring any more gifts with you?" the Earth King asked with a yawn. "Your elders had sent us such wonderful gifts."

"Truly. I simply adore the new saddle for Nyla," Queen June acknowledged.

"I'm afraid due to the several stops I need to make before returning to the South Pole will make it difficult for me to carry much. You've already sent back more than enough, Your Highnesses," Sokka assured them. He caught the sight of his sister coming down the tiered steps behind the two royals. "Ah! Finally!"

"We didn't take that long," Katara told him.

"Your Highnesses," Zuko stopped just beside Katara and bowed. "Good morning."

"Oh, right! Good morning!" Katara quickly followed Zuko's movements. "Thank you for seeing my brother off."

"It is common practice and it was a pleasure having him here," the king beamed.

"Aang, are you coming with us?" Katara asked as Sokka started trying to usher her and Zuko into the carriage.

The bald Avatar smiled and shook his head. "I have to play some final respects at the temples and then head to another meeting. I'll be here for dinner, though. I'll go over our travel plans then."

"Are we going to another temple?" Zuko asked as he waited behind Katara to enter the carriage.

"Yes! The Eastern Air Temple is awaiting us," Aang told them. "Sokka, have a safe trip!"

The door to the carriage closed and Sokka stuck his head outside the window to wave. "Don't be a stanger! Come by the Southern Water Tribe! We'll have a feast - the best seal jerky you've ever had!"

Inside the carriage, Katara ran a hand down her face. "Sokka..." Beside her, Zuko chuckled. Sokka slid back into his seat and looked at his sister and Zuko across from him. "And you, too. Come visit us soon. Everyone is going to ask about you when I get back and will want to know when you'll come home."

Katara let out another heavy breath. "I'll drop by when Aang comes," she assured him. Sokka raised a brow and crossed his arms over his chest.

"And when will that be?"

"I don't know. I'm not the boss of the Avatar."

"I'll ask about visiting the Southern Tribe after the Eastern Air Temple," Zuko interjected. Katara snapped her head towards him and frowned. "Maybe we can come down from the Southern Air Temple."

"Thank you," Sokka nodded. "See, Katara? Is that so hard? Just to ask?"

His sister let out a groan and sunk back into her seat, looking out the window as they passed through the various gates. Zuko inwardly winced. She was upset with someone and that someone was not Sokka. The black-haired man remained quiet the rest of the journey to the station.

Katara and Sokka continued to exchange jabs at each other and Zuko said nothing, so long as Katara didn't seem bothered by 'seeing' anything outside of the window. It was only when Sokka's attempt at a comeback drew his attention back to the siblings.

"...what am I supposed to tell Grandpa?" Sokka demand. "That you'll stay away until he rejects all those engagement offers?"

"No, can't you just tell him that I'm not interested in them?" Katara asked, displeased. Somehow, Zuko felt relieved hearing that. "But don't make it sound as if I'm threatening him!"

"I don't know...," Sokka rubbed his chin. "Telling him that you'll stay away may work out better. I'd say he's more likely to give in if you hold that over his head."

"Sokka, don't threaten Grandpa," Katara frowned. "Come on. Just help me with this." Her sibling paused to think for a moment.

"Only if you send him a letter later, personally rejecting the offers," he finally replied. He groaned and tilted his head back. "I wish I had thought of that sooner, then I could have something to give him when I get back."

"Fine, fine," Katara conceded. "I'll go send him a letter."

"Ambassador, we've arrived at the station," the driver of the carriage informed them. They jerked to a stop and could hear the driver climb down to open the door for them.

"Well, it's too late to get you to write a letter now. Just send one home as soon as you can. Grandpa is stubborn, so be firm," Sokka stressed. The door opened and he began to climb out. Katara followed after him.

"Well, what do you want me to say other than 'no, Grandpa, I don't want to get married'?" she snorted as Sokka turned around to give her a hug. Zuko climbed out of the carriage behind them as the two siblings embraced.

"Tell him you won't come back until -"

"I'm not threatening him."

"Fine," Sokka sighed as he pulled away from her. He looked over her shoulder and found Zuko giving him a respectful bow. Sokka smirked as he took a step back. It looks like it was up to him to help his sister. "I'll just tell him you're already involved with someone."

Katara jerked her head back with a confused expression on her face. "Who?"

"Please continue watching out for her!" Sokka gave the other man a bow before taking his bag from the driver and heading into the building.

"I won't leave her side," Zuko assured him, still bowed.

The blue-eyed man chuckled as Katara called after him. "Sokka! Involved with who!?" He waved good-bye, blissfully ignoring her question. "Sokka!" He disappeared into the station and Katara scowled. "I'm starting to question why they let him be an ambassador; he never listens."

Zuko chuckled. "Come on, let's get back," he urged. "I'm getting hungry."

Katara turned around and headed to the carriage. Zuko grasped her hand and helped her in almost automatically. "Since Aang is busy at the temple today, what do you want to do? Go around the upper tier one more time?"

"Go to the royal library."

"The royal library?" Katara complained as she sat on the bench inside. The carriage shook as Zuko climbed in after her. "But you've spent so much time there already! You spent all of yesterday there." She had a point. If he wasn't with her, he was in the library while she was with her brother.

"I know, but who knows when we'll have a chance to review those books on the spirit world again?" he pointed out as he sat beside her. "I've been collecting some interesting accounts recently and I'm still looking for any patterns or commonalities that connect them. That may lead us to helping you with your vision. Don't you think that's worth the time in the library?"

"I suppose so...," she replied, sounding guilty. She knew that he was in the library for her. She couldn't really be upset with him for that. The carriage started moving once more and she leaned against him. "But I'm going to get some sleep first. I'll meet you in the library later."

"Later?" he asked as he adjusted his arm around her shoulders to properly cradle her against him. "Later as in the sun sets and you walk in to come get me for dinner?"

"I'll come earlier this time," she yawned as she turned her face and buried it against his shoulder.

"Promise?" he asked, unsurely.

Katara nodded as she felt him place a small kiss atop her head and stroke her arm to help lull her into sleep. "Promise."

* * *

The doors to the library flew open and Zuko didn't move from his seat. His eyes remained on a book about the sensitivity of particularly spiritual people to the apparitions, even as the woman raced in, slightly panting.

"I'm sorry!" Katara gasped as she reached the table where he sat. "I over slept!"

Zuko reached across the table for the small tea cup he was drinking from. He brought it calmly to his lips. "I know."

"I meant to wake up, but breakfast was heavier than I thought and once I fell asleep-"

"It's fine," Zuko assured her. Truth be told, he expected Katara to oversleep. In fact, he had carried her from the sentee in the main room of her villa to the bed, knowing that her 'nap' was not going to be short.

"And I could've sworn I fell asleep outside," she continued, looking slightly confused. "Did I sleep walk?"

"I carried you to bed."

"What?" Her face fell. "Why?" Was she that predictable?

Zuko placed his cup back on the table and finally lifted his head. "Because I knew you'd sleep through the day. You'd complain and make me rub your shoulders if you wake up with a stiff neck from sleeping on the sentee, just like last time."

"I wouldn't have been sleeping there for too long," Katara protested. He gave her a deadpan look. Katara flushed and dropped her head, defeated. "Thank you for moving me to the bed."

"You're welcome." Zuko closed the book and rose from his seat. "Is it dinner time?"

"No, I came to look over the books, like I said I would," she asserted and pulled out the seat next to him. "Where do I start?"

She sat down and looked over the piles of books and scrolls strewn across the table earnestly. Zuko hesitated, but took a seat.

"If you're positive that you won't fall asleep again, I think we should go over this," he told her. He reached across the table and grabbed a scroll, carefully unraveling it before her.. "I found some records of people who have been able to see the dead, or at least claim it. There aren't a lot and I had to pull them from the various mentions of them in different books and scrolls, but I've flagged all the ones of interest."

Katara looked interested as Zuko showed her the records. "Where are they from?"

"These particular records are for Earth Kingdom incidents," Zuko said. "They report that they have seen the dead since they were children. Records also indicate that people who observed those with 'the vision' were often talking out loud, as if having a conversation with someone who wasn't there. Sometimes, they would be screaming and would become violent."

Katara furrowed her brows slowly. The screaming and the violent reactions didn't surprise her. Until recently, she reacted the same. "Someone wrote that down?"

"They weren't isolated incidents that happened once for someone. For some people, it was on going," Zuko replied.

"But that would mean someone was watching them the entire time. Family or fellow villagers?" she said. Her eyes scanned down the scroll of various names and locations. The incidents had been meticulously recorded in such a methodological way, it couldn't have been pulled from oral stories passed from one person to another. Katara drew her hands back from the scroll slowly and turned to look at him. "Who compiled these records?" she asked quietly.

"Priests," Zuko admitted. "Doctors, even some family members. These are from towns and villages all over the kingdom. Everything from doctor's patient notes to correspondence, to records from various prisons, hospitals, and temples."

Her heart grew heavy. She knew what that implied. "They thought these people were sick, didn't they?" she asked sadly.

Zuko moved his eyes away from her. "Whatever they saw, they couldn't control and when they acted out in response to what they saw, it was often with yelling and frantic, often violent, physical behavior. It was seen as abnormal by those who didn't understand."

Katara closed her eyes tightly. That validated one of her fears; that she would be shunned and looked down upon for seeing something others could not.

Zuko watched her hands clench over her lap. Most of the people he read about were considered insane and rather than being thought to have a gift, they were seen as lunatics - madmen and women talking to thin air. He could understand why observers would think so. He had seen Katara break down and start screaming and fighting an invisible figure he could not see.

If any one who didn't believe that seeing the dead was possible, they would've branded her as insane and sent her to a temple somewhere to be healed or worse: locked away.

"I know it's difficult to believe," Katara said solemnly. "If I didn't 'see', I wouldn't believe it myself. But I know how real they are. I just can't control how clearly I see them." She was trying. She was trying  _so hard_. Yet, even after all that time, she still could not tell the difference between a dead man luring her in an alley and the living prince sitting beside her.

A warm hand moved over her trembling one. His long fingers curled around hers and he squeezed them, reassuringly.

"There is  _nothing_  wrong with you," Zuko said. "No matter what happens, no matter what you see, you are not broken. You are not cursed," he asserted as she closed her eyes tightly. "You are a waterbender with a gift that has already brought peace to so many." He brought her hand to lips and placed warm, chaste kisses across her brown knuckles. "Both dead and living."

She took a deep breath, trying to calm the ache in her chest. "But that won't change the fact that when I walk down the street, some of those people may already be dead," she said. She opened her eyes and met his defeatedly. "And I still can't tell who is."

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "How long have been trying to sense the difference between the living and the dead?"

Katara frowned. "A few months."

"Before that, didn't you want to just have your vision sealed?"

"Yes, but-"

"And even now, does part of you still want to rid yourself of your vision?" he asked. Katara hesitated. Dealing with the spirits had somehow gotten easier, she admitted, but if given the choice...

She nodded.

"You told us that you used to wake up clawing at spirits, frantic and terrified," Zuko said. "Has that changed?"

A determined look filled her face. "It's different. I've had better experiences with the spirits and I don't face them alone," she pointed out. "You or Aang or the others are always there. We've talked through things, taken it step by step. I can control my reactions better."

"Aang said you've been at peace a bit more recently. Don't you think that your peace may be what is keeping the spirits under control? That your anxiety and fears don't feed into them, so they don't haunt you?" Zuko asked. "I'm not a scholar on all this spiritual stuff. I've tried to read up on it as much as I could, but in my comparisons, I think you are improving." She opened her mouth to disagree, but he quickly cut her off. "Perhaps not with telling the difference, but with dealing with the ghosts. You're not afraid, Katara. And even if you are, you push through anyway and that is where you are different from everyone I've read about."

"That I face it?" she scowled. "I tried ignoring them, Zuko. It doesn't work."

"No, that you  _react well_." He turned back to the scroll. "All of these instances say that the people with the vision react, but they scream and they  _fight_. They  _resist_  and so the records for some of them becomes more and more violent. They have the same vision you do, but don't want to react to them. It's like the more they resist the spirits that seek their aid, the more they fight, the more terrified they become and the spirits can't help but feed from that."

"But what about Jet?" Katara frowned. "I was calm and relaxed whenever I was around him and in the end-"

"That is the exception more than the rule," a voice came from the doorway of the library. The two benders looked up and saw Aang slipping past the door. "In the Spirit World, your emotional energy is reflected in the environment and the spirits around you. If you feel negative energy - anger, frustration, or fear, your environment becomes dark and the spirits become monsters."

"But these aren't spirits like in the Spirit World, Aang," Katara countered. "They're the ghosts of the undead."

"And the weaker their hold is on the mortal plane, the easier they are influenced by your energy, which explains Jet. He had a very strong hold here, but because of that, he continued to be consumed by his own negative feelings at the time of his death." Aang stopped in front of their table and pulled one of the chairs out from underneath it. "I'm glad I found you two. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"No, we're just going over these records I found of people in the Earth Kingdom with similar visions," Zuko said. "You came at a good time." He looked over at Katara offered her a small smile. "Aang helped me find some of the books the other day, while you were out with your brother."

Katara smiled thoughtfully at Zuko. "You didn't have to spend all your time here doing that."

The firebender shook his head before settling his eyes on hers. "I wouldn't if I didn't want to."

Aang raised a brow and looked from one travel companion to the other. He lifted his hand to his mouth and let out a small cough. "Um..."

"Hmm? Right, sorry, Aang," Katara blinked. "What were you saying? It isn't time for dinner yet, so shouldn't you still be doing your final rounds at the temple?" Briefly, Aang wondered if she were trying to hint at something.

"We finished a few hours ago," Aang replied. "I spent some time looking into that thing Zuko and I read about yesterday."

"Thing?" Katara furrowed her brows.

"Where is it...," Zuko muttered as he rose from his seat and released her hand. He moved aside several books and scrolls, looking for something amongst the pile, until he found a large bound book with a red ribbon wedged between its pages. "Here." He placed the book in front of them and carefully opened it to the page marked by the red ribbon. "One of the people who was recorded with visions like yours was the son of a wealthy, aristocratic family here in Ba Sing Se. From what is written of him, he was born with it and no one could figure out what was wrong."

"Priests from the temples in the city told his family that he was possessed or haunted by ghosts of people who had been wronged by the family," Aang said. "They didn't know what to do with him, as he couldn't go outside without panicking. He began to suspect that everyone was a spirit. Everyone. He'd yell at and fight whoever came near him. His family brought him to a temple by Lake Laogai, where he died."

"Aang went to see if there was any record of him there that could give us more detail," Zuko pointed out.

"Was there?" Katara asked. Aang nodded.

"That temple received a lot of money from the his family, trying to find a way to stop him from seeing. There are records of things he ate, smoked, and drank. Every sort of spiritual cleansing ceremony they could think of was performed on him," Aang replied. "Unfortunately, none of those worked."

Katara felt her entire body grow heavier as she slumped down in her seat. Zuko reached over and stroked the back of her head and back to soothe her. "Nothing?" the firebender asked, frowning. "Are you sure?" After days of pouring over everything he could find on the subject in that library, the aristocrat who had the same gift as Katara was his best bet. He had brought it to Aang and asked him to try to find more information from that temple. He had hoped that something had worked.

"So he died there," Katara said solemnly. Until the end, he must've been haunted.

"Yes," Aang nodded. "He was nearly a hundred."

Zuko's head snapped up. "What?"

A small smile reached at Aang's lips. Katara was still lingering on the fact that the man hadn't been able to stop his vision, but Zuko, after his research, picked up the hint immediately.

"He was ninety-eight when he died. Natural causes, in his bed, while he slept," Aang said.

Zuko let out a sharp breath. He was almost hesitant to believe what Aang found out. "That's...that's great," he whispered. "He's the first one."

"The first one what?" Katara asked as she narrowed her eyes.

"Everyone we've read up on so far couldn't handle the visions, so as a result, many were sent away to try to be dealt with because they became unmanageable. That is why for those we have found, there are extensive records of what they did; the holy men and women and doctors wrote them down. However, you know first hand how what you see can affect you," Aang told her. "It starts to cloud your mind. You start to confuse the dead and the living. You begin to question reality; what isn't there and what actually is. This would drive even the most mentally sound person crazy."

"Aside from this aristocrat, no one has lived to thirty," Zuko said quietly. "Several refused to sleep or eat; their bodies wasted away. Others were driven to madness and met with an accident...some took their own lives to escape their sight."

Katara swallowed the lump in her throat and turned back to Aang. "What happened to the aristocrat? Did he have his vision his whole life?"

Aang nodded. "Up until he died, there were records of him talking when there was no one else with him. He was noted as having 'things to do' and talking about helping someone. The monks there wrote that he would take walks around the lake shore by himself, but he didn't seem to be meeting up with anyone. For a while, a few monks followed him to make sure he wasn't a danger to himself."

"But aside from the monks and priests at that temple, did he meet with anyone else?" Zuko prodded. "His family members or friends?"

"No one came to visit him after his first year. His family had no idea what to do with him and left him there. They donated a lot of money to the temple for their efforts and keeping him. Still, from the records I had read, his incidents of panic stricken terror slowed when he was moved into a secluded part of the temple, away from the cells," Aang pointed out. "The monks eat at specific times, so he'd get meals around those times. It's likely that the spirits helped keep him sane in his seclusion, once he accepted that they were there and weren't trying to harm him."

"Did it say anything about him being able to differentiate between the living and the dead?" Katara asked eagerly.

"No," Aang admitted. "But I wouldn't be surprised if he had developed that sort of sense."

Katara nodded and let out a low breath. "I'm almost afraid to hope."

"No matter what, know that this man lived a long life and he was happy," Aang reminded her.

She smiled weakly. "Helping all those ghosts trapped find peace...I'm happy I was able to do that. I suppose what I'm really concerned about is being unable to tell the difference. If I'm walking down the street, I don't want to disturb others by talking to someone they can't see. I can't have you or Zuko or my brother come with me everywhere to verify whether or not someone is alive."

"Katara, as I've said when you first came to me: I believe that one day, somehow, you will be able to tell the difference," Aang assured her. "But, you must welcome the experiences and learn from them first."

"I know," Katara agreed. "I need to pay closer attention to my surroundings. The reaction of those around me helps."

"Observation is a powerful thing," Aang said.

Katara let out a heavy breath. "Well, since none of these books and scrolls can tell us things we don't already know, I don't see why we have to stay any longer."

"I should put away the books," Zuko said as he pushed his seat back.

"I'll help," Aang said. "Katara, would you mind checking on Appa? I asked the stable hands to feed him early since he didn't eat much all day."

"Sure," Katara said as they rose from their seats. Aang began to collect the scrolls and as Zuko, arms filled with books, turned to head towards one of the shelves, Katara moved in front of him. "Thank you," she said as she smiled warmly. "For looking all of this up."

His face softened and he lowered his arms. The books hung in between them as he leaned forward and placed his forehead against hers. "I'll help where I can." He smiled. "I'll come by the stables after we're done here."

"Okay." She felt him kiss one of her temples as he passed. She took a step back, watching him maneuver around some tables, before turning around and heading outside.

Aang followed behind Zuko. He looked over his shoulder to make sure Katara was out of hearing range before turning into an aisle.

"Zuko-"

"Scrolls are in the adjoining room, Aang."

"I know, I'll bring them over there," Aang said. "I wanted to talk to you."

Zuko filed some books on a shelf and looked back at Aang. "About what?"

Aang shifted awkwardly. "A message came while I was at the temple," he said. "A Fire Nation messenger arrived at the palace, but they sent him directly to me."

Zuko's movements began to slow. He frowned and narrowed his eyes. "From whom?"

"Your uncle, Lord Iroh."

Zuko froze. In the back of his mind, he knew that his time was up. He had been counting down to the end of his banishment up until the last few weeks, when Katara overshadowed it and he had begun to focus more on her than himself.

Aang could see the hesitation in Zuko's face. The young prince who had been forced to travel around the Earth Kingdom and the temples alone was now officially allowed to return home. However, he didn't appear to be all that ecstatic.

"I don't think I'm ready," Zuko replied as he turned away from Aang and finished putting the remaining books on to the shelf.

"Lord Iroh wants you to go to the Fire Nation," Aang told him.

"I'm not ready," Zuko repeated in a low voice. "I know that my uncle and cousin may have been looking forward to this day, but what about my father?" He scowled at the thought. "Or my sister? How can I face either of them after I was sent away?"

He turned away from Aang and shoved past him. The Avatar followed, concerned. "Zuko, I know you may not be ready, but where else are you going to go?"

"With you and Katara," Zuko snapped. He turned around and frowned. "Unless you want to leave me behind."

"I wouldn't do that," Aang told him seriously. "But you can't avoid returning to the Fire Nation. It's not fair to Iroh. He's a good man and I know he misses you."

"I know he does!" Zuko threw his arms into the air. "And I miss him and my cousin! I look forward to the day when we can just sit around, together, and have tea, just like we used to. But I'm not worried about them. I'm worried about  _my_  father! How can I face the man who scarred and sent his own son away? And what do I say to the sister I left behind, without a word?"

"Then what are you going to do?" Aang asked.

"I told you," Zuko said as he reached the table and began to gather another armload of books. "I'll continue traveling with you and Katara. I know she still needs support for her vision and I will remain at her side as long as I can to help her."

"Then you may have a problem," Aang said carefully. Zuko turned around. "Lord Iroh requested my presence in the Fire Nation." Zuko inhaled sharply and Aang kept his eyes on his. "We'll be attending Prince Lu Ten's coronation ceremony in half a month's time."

* * *

He hadn't come to meet her in the stables, as he said he would. He hadn't been in his villa, or hers, when she had gone to search for him for dinner. It seemed that even Aang did not know where he was exactly and had awkwardly excused Zuko's absence at the dinner table with the Earth King and Queen by telling them that Zuko had gone to procure gifts for his family.

"His family?" Katara had waited until dinner had ended to ask the Avatar. "Is he sending something back?"

"No," Aang had looked directly ahead of them. "He just said he was going for a walk."

"A walk where?" Katara pushed. "He said he was going to meet me at the stables, but I haven't seen him since I left the library. It isn't like him to skip dinner, especially without telling either one of us. I hope he's alright."

Aang had kept his eyes diverted. "I'm sure he is," he had told her. "He's probably just clearing his head after I told him about the message."

Katara had stopped in the middle of the corridor. Her hand flew out and clamped on the Avatar's shoulder. "What message?" She had missed the nervous look on his face. He bit his lower lip and her grip tightened. "Aang."

"A message from the Fire Nation arrived today," he had gushed out guiltily as her eyes bore into his. "We won't be going to the Eastern Air Temple, as planned. We'll be going to the Fire Nation for Prince Lu Ten's coronation."

She could remember how she had taken in a sharp breath and felt her chest tighten at the same time. "The Fire Nation?" she had muttered. It was something Zuko didn't want to talk about.

"His uncle wants him to come back," Aang had answered quickly. "When he didn't return a few weeks ago, as was expected, it looks like his uncle became concerned. Zuko had sent him a message telling him that he was traveling with me, so Lord Iroh sent me a message directly."

Katara had given him a confused look. "About Zuko or about the coronation?"

"Both," Aang had told her. "Lord Iroh and his son want Zuko to be there."

Katara had closed her eyes and released Aang's shoulder. "Where did he go...?"

She had gone to check her villa and his once more. Zuko didn't seem to have had returned at all and a knot of dread had begun to fill her stomach. She paced his villa's main room, but with each step, she began to count reasons as to why he had left.

Perhaps he wasn't ready to return yet or there was something he didn't want to encounter there. Was it Azula? Azula had mentioned that she had been at her boarding school when her brother had 'left'. They never had a proper farewell and Katara could understand why Azula would be upset.

Katara was also sure there were other reasons that she didn't know about. She trusted that Zuko would tell her about what had happened to him on his own, in due time, but he still hadn't. And Katara didn't want to pry, afraid that it would only encourage his silence on the matter.

If he didn't tell her, she couldn't help him. Katara had inhaled sharply at the thought. Could it be that Zuko didn't want her help? That he left so he didn't bring her into it?

"No," Katara had asserted. She was jumping to conclusions. Zuko probably just wanted to clear his head...or perhaps even go and procure some souvenirs, like Aang had said. Even as she tried to reason out his disappearance, she continued to grow more and more concerned.

The worst thought in her mind was that Zuko had left - not for a walk, but  _left the group_. That  _he left her_. The thought brought tears to her eyes and, frantically, she shoved the thought of her mind. She couldn't sit around and wait any longer; she was over-thinking the situation the longer she waited.

After informing some of the guards to let the Avatar know that she was going for a walk on her own, Katara grabbed a cloak and a lantern and walked out the palace gates. She began to walk towards the shopping district she was familiar with from her walks with Sokka. Her brother loved to shop and for once, she was glad he did.

Their walks had made her reasonably familiar with the area and familiarity relaxed her. The shopping district was past the park and over a bridge. She hadn't noticed any spirits before, but she hadn't really been looking for them. Sokka kept her distracted, but now, she wasn't sure if she wanted to think about Zuko to keep her distracted or try to differentiate spirits in order to stop herself from the thought that Zuko had left them.

Not that he would've, she reminded herself.

Katara crossed the street to one of the many small parts that dotted the area. She proceeded down a brick lined path, opting to focus on finding Zuko. His things were still in his room, she rationalized. He had just gone on a walk.

As she walked along the path, she saw a gray-haired man wading into the stream that cut through the park a few steps ahead. She furrowed her brows, wondering what he would be doing that time in the evening.

She hoped he wasn't trying to fish. First, there weren't many fish in the streams. Second, fishing in the park was illegal, as she had found during one embarrassing outing with her brother. Katara looked over her shoulder for a guard before calling over to the man.

"Sir!" she said. "Sir, you can't fish in the park streams!"

He didn't answer and continued to wade through, looking down at the water as his hands seemed to move along the shallow, pebble-lined bottom.

Katara looked around once more for a guard before approaching him. "Sir, are you looking for somethi..." Her voice trailed off as she watched the current move right through his legs. Her blue eyes darted upwards and she saw the man looking back at her with sad eyes. Katara knew what he was.

The waterbender took a deep breath.

 _Just ask..._ She could hear Zuko's voice in her head.

"Sir," she began as she took a hesitant step forward. "What are you looking for?" She smiled hopefully. "I can help."

* * *

It was an odd time to be shopping; early in the evening, just as most of the customers of the upper ring's main shopping district were leaving for dinner with their families. What made it even odder was that Zuko's circumstances typically didn't warrant souvenirs. The only remembrances banished men brought back with them were memories.

Unable to fully grasp the implications of his uncle's letter to Aang, which Aang had shown him the page that requested his presence at the coronation, Zuko suddenly felt cornered. He had dropped the books and stumbled back, rubbing his head before telling Aang he was going to go for 'out' to clear his head.

Aang had wanted to go, too, and Zuko couldn't blame him. The young Avatar was just worried, but at that time, Zuko didn't want to talk or be around anyone. Before he realized it, the sun had set and he was deep in the upper ring, away from the palace and the stables where he said he'd meet Katara.

Guilt at bit at him. He'd never let down Katara before, but he was certain she was no longer there. If she went to dinner, Aang would've told her that he had stepped out. The firebender stopped walking.

Aang would've also told her why.

Zuko tilted his head back and let out a small swear. No doubt Katara would be worried about him. She hadn't pried about his circumstances, but after that evening, she would ask. She would ask because she was concerned. He frowned. Katara had her own worries; he didn't want to add to them.

"So much for helping her," he muttered to himself as he continued down the street. He would stop by her villa on the way to his to apologize for missing their meeting, he decided. If she asked, he would tell her; she deserved to know after all their time together. No - not  _if_  she asked. He would tell her everything. After all, he knew almost everything about her - her family, her sight, how spicy she could take her food before her eyes began to water.

It wasn't fair that he hadn't said much about his own life. He would remedy that tonight. He would tell her what happened and reassure her that she did not have to help him solve the mystery of his mother's death. Katara was not a tool for him to use and if she didn't want to come with him...he could accept that.

However, the thought of parting from her left a gaping, empty feeling inside of him. They had been together for months and Zuko didn't like the idea that they would be apart. At the same time, he didn't want to weigh her down with his concerns over returning to the Fire Nation.

His uncle would welcome him home with open arms. Lu Ten would grab him into a brotherly embrace and demand that he tell him all about his travels. Azula...Azula would be upset. They'd probably fight and it was possible she wouldn't want to speak to him. He didn't know what he would say to her, anyway. Still, he believed he could work through his relationship with his sister.

Zuko's main worry lay with his father; the man he had accused of killing his mother, fought with, and then had him banished. What could a son say to a man like that? It was the meeting Zuko dreaded.

Yet, Aang had a point. Where would he go if he didn't return to the Fire Nation? Hadn't he been looking forward to returning? What else was there for him to do outside the islands? Eight years he had wandered, dreaming of the day he was back in the palace, in his room, living the life he was born into.

The threat of his father rejecting him again was something he never dwelled on. He would deal with it when the time came and now it had come.

Zuko narrowed his eyes, determined as his hand tightened around the bag of luxury tea blends he had purchased for his uncle and cousin. Whatever happened would happen, he resolved. He would return.

He rounded a corner and caught sight of light pouring from an open door. An middle-aged man was clutching something in his hand as he covered his face with his other. He leaned against the doorway of his elegant house as an elderly woman rubbed his arm and wiped tears from her eyes.

She was bowing to a woman standing just outside the door.

"Katara...?" Zuko whispered as he watched the brown-haired bender bow before being engulfed in an embrace by the old woman. A small smile tugged at Zuko's lips as Katara's arms rose and hugged the woman back.

"I never thought I'd see it again," he could hear the man choking out. "Thank you...I don't know how you found it, but thank you."

Warmth filled Zuko's body as he realized she had done yet another extraordinary feat. She had come a long way and he was proud of her.

"It was nothing," Katara assured them as she stepped back and bowed once more. "The soul of your father can now rest in peace. He was very proud of you." The man rubbed at his eyes.

"Thank you."

Katara bowed once more and stepped back, moving towards the street as the man and the elderly woman returned to their house.

Zuko could see a gentle smile on Katara's face as she kept her eyes fixated on a spot by the street. Slowly, her head tilted upwards, as if watching someone raise into the sky. She lifted her hand and wiped the corners of her eyes.

"You ran into someone?" he asked as he neared her.

Katara whirled around at the sound of his voice. Her eyes widened as a look of relief seemed to flood her face. "Zuko!" Before he could lift up his hand to give her a small wave, her body rammed into his. Her arms wrapped around him as she buried her face in his chest.

The firebender looked surprised as he stumbled back. He hadn't expected such a reaction. He blinked as he looked down at the top of her head. "Katara?"

"I thought you left!" Her muffled voice reached his ears. Zuko's brows furrowed as he frowned.

"Leave?"

"You didn't come to the stables," Katara said as she tilted her head up. "And then you missed dinner." A pained expression appeared on her face and Zuko felt his chest ache for having caused it. "Aang told me about the message from the Fire Lord," she told him softly. "I thought...I thought you had left," she admitted.

He shook his head slowly. "No...no, Katara, I wouldn't leave without telling you," he assured her gently as his free hand rose and cupped the side of her face. "I was just...I needed to think." Her concerned expression didn't change. "I'm sorry about not meeting you at the stables. When Aang told me about the message, I just needed some time alone to think."

"Then...you don't want to go back?" she asked, unsurely.

He opened his mouth, but no words came out. "No." He grimaced. "Yes...maybe." He looked away. "I don't know. I thought I wanted to return the moment I could, but when Aang told me about the message, I realized I wasn't ready to go back."

"Why not?" she asked, her eyes crinkled as she looked up at him. "What's wrong?"

His eyes slowly moved back to hers. His hand stroked her warm, flushed cheek. "Nothing you need to worry about," he assured her. "I'm alright. I swear."

She didn't look convinced and didn't release him from her arms. "Then, what are you going to do?" Katara asked.

He offered her a weak smile. "The Fire Lord has requested my presence and wants me to return," he told her. "I can't ignore him."

She looked relieved once more and allowed her head to rest against his chest again. "So, you will go with us to the Fire Nation?"

"As long as you'll have me, yes."

Katara drew her head back and frowned. "Of course we'll have you! We'll go together!" Her words settled him a bit.

"Then, before we go," Zuko began. "I'd like to tell you what happened to me."


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Fire Nation Capital City, Twelve Years Earlier**

There was a bell in his room he could've rung to wake a servant in order to get him something to drink. He only needed to crawl to a corner of his bed and tug on a rope that was connected to a bell in the servant's quarters, but it was late and he felt restless. Instead, the third in line for the throne kicked off his blanket and swung his feet over the edge of his bed.

Blindly, he managed to get his feet into a pair of slippers by his bed before heading for his bedroom door. In the sitting room just beyond it, there was a metal pitcher with water and some cups. He'd pour himself some water and then crawl back to bed. There was no need to wake a servant for something he could easily do himself.

A cool breeze swept over him as he walked towards the curtain lined portico that overlooked another palace wing and reached for the pitcher on a table, beside a column He hoped that his mother would allow them to sleep in a little later than usual, since they had returned home late after watching the Ember Island Players.

Zuko cringed. There were plenty of excellent theater troupes in the capital city, he didn't know why his mother had insisted they go see the visiting Ember Island players. It wasn't as if they didn't have a choice, as they didn't when they were on the actual holiday island. He had been bored out of his mind and Azula had fallen asleep.

Their father clearly looked like he didn't want to be there and Zuko really couldn't blame him. Only their mother looked excited from their balcony as they watched the terrible performance.

"Your mother is feeling homesick," Ozai had told him and Azula the day before. "I'm sure she'd love to see them. She used to act with them, you know. That's where I first saw her."

Zuko didn't know where his father was going with the story, but Azula had said 'ew' and then asked if he was coming. Ozai said he wasn't, but he ended up going, as well.

Zuko lifted his cup to his lips and proceeded to take big gulps as he glanced outside. His gold eyes narrowed and he squinted. In the moonlight, he could make out a flame moving across the newly renovated wing and he frowned. That wing wasn't ready for occupation yet; they still needed to move in furniture into the new rooms and the furthest rooms were still under renovation due to structural problems. It was supposed to be completely off limits.

The boy put his cup down and climbed out onto the portico. He jumped on to the tree branch that hung over and scampered down into the adjacent courtyard. As stealthily as he could, he crossed the yard to the wing. He peeked into the long hall and frowned.

A faint glow of fire could be seen coming from the far end of the hall, and it was fading. Zuko rushed forward to follow it before he lost it. As he reached a corner, he heard voices and stumbled to a stop. A sharp breath escaped his lips and he lifted his hand, clamping it over his mouth to keep surprised cry muffled.

Pasting himself against the wall, he craned his head and tried to pick up what the conversation was saying . He couldn't recognize one of them - the lower, man's voice. It sounded frantic and was growing louder. Then, his companion spoke and Zuko felt chills course through his body.

That was his mother's voice. He'd know it anywhere. His hands curled into a little fists. Why was his mother out that late? And in an unoccupied palace area...with a man who didn't sound like anyone he knew. A thud was heard.

A door closed and Zuko tensed. He looked around the corner and frowned more so; one of the rooms was closed and the voices were now completely useless to him. He could hear them getting louder and, possibly, angrier, but what they were saying couldn't be made out and Zuko slowly began creeping forward.

He was hesitant to get closer, afraid at the door would be thrown open and he'd be caught. He tried rationalize his presence: he was, after all, a member of the royal family. If anyone had a right to be there, it was him. He'd claim he thought someone was trespassing...but if so, why hadn't he told the guards?

Darn it, he should've gone to get guards.

"I've given you my answer!" Zuko jumped and darted behind the nearest column. A door had opened and shut quickly, allowing for him to hear the words before they became muffled again. The boy was torn between running and getting the guards and trying to get into the room.

The yelling escalated and Zukoh heard something hit one of the walls. He jumped and darted back into the hall, only to hear the yelling die out. No one came out of the door and Zuko hesitantly approached. He craned his head, listening for anyone inside.

He could hear rapid footsteps running across the room. Narrowing his eyes, he lifted his hand and tried to push the door open. Zuko was met with resistance and he frowned. Dread was filling him quickly and he abandoned any fear of repercussion for being where he wasn't supposed ot.

"Mom?" he called. He lifted his hand and knocked on the door. "Mom, is that you?"

"Zuko?" he could barely hear his name before she let out a cry.. His eyes widened and he pushed against the door. He lifted hisf fists and pounded.

"Mom!" A loud crack sounded and he felt the wall and door he was against move as something big and heavy hit the floor on the other side.

"Mom!? Mom!" He stepped back and slammed into the door. "Mom!" No response came and the panic took over. "Guards!"

His small body hit the wooden barrier hard and he bounced off, stumbling backwards as he winced at the pain that shot through his body. He stepped back and readied himself to ram the door again when he caught the bright, yellow light coming from the small space between the door and floor.

It was far too bright and strong to be just a lantern and he lifted his head up, towards the crack between the door and the top of the frame. His eyes widened as he saw smoke.

"Guards!" He screamed as loud as he could. "Guards!" he shouted as he ran into the door. "Help! Someone helpl!"

"Zuko! Get away from here!" he heard his mother crying from inside. Relief filled him, but it was short lived. "It's too dangerous!"

"Mom!" His body hit the door and he could heard it crack as he stumbled back once more.

"Get your father!"

"Mom! I'm coming!" He felt dizzy as his small body hit the door once more. It creaked again and he yelled over his shoulder. "Guards! Help!"

He needed to get in and as he readied himself, he prayed that this last attempt would do the job. A loud thud filled his ears as the door and the frame holding it up were brought down from the dry, decrepit old walls they were on.

Zuko found himself falling along with the door and as it hit the ground, he landed on top of it.

"Zuko!" He could hear his mother calling for him. "Zuko! Zuko, get up! Get up!" She cried.

A groan left him as he looked up. His vision was blurry, but he could see and feel the flames that were engulfing the room quickly. In the back of his head, he could hear his uncle's voice telling him and Azula not to play near that wing, as the wood was old, dry, and brittle due to improper maintenance in the past.

His uncle was right. It seemed as if the walls themselves were made of fire as dark smoke filled the room above them. A large, gaping hole in the ceiling allowed the smoke to vacate quickly, but one of the heavy wooden beams that held it up had fallen across his mother's legs.

Ursa was on the ground, her legs and what seemed like her entire lower body, were pinned beneath a massive wooden beam. She was completely disheveled, her robes singed, and her hair undone. The flame pin that was usually in her hair was across the room, on the floor.

"Mom!" Zuko scrambled up, swaying a bit as his head began to hurt. He tried to will himself to be steady.

"Zuko, get out of here! Run!" his mother choked out. "The rest of the ceiling will come down!" Her eyes were wet with tears. "Please, Zuko! Run!"

He didn't care. "I'm not going to leave you!" he cried as he rushed forward. He bent as many flames as he could away, but he could barely concentrate. All he could see was his mother pinned in place. He tried to get to the wooden beam. He grabbed it and pulled back, struggling with all his might as he grit his teeth. "It's not budging!"

"Zuko!" Ursa was coughing. "Zuko, run..."

He was barely listening. "Hold on, Mom!" He changed his position and moved further away to try to push the beam off. As he did, another creaking sound filled the air above crackling fire. Zuko looked up. His mother's screams filled his head.

"Zuko! No!"

A burning ceiling caved in. He remembered seeing falling, fire-engulfed wood splinters and cracked tile tumbling down. There wasn't a sound...it just seemed to happen in silence. The sound of burning wood and cracking clay and even his mother's voice had gone quiet. Had he even raised his arms up to to protect himself? He couldn't remember.

He had woken up outside, coughing as a pair of hands held him down. "Zuko, are you alright?" He recognized Lu Ten's voice, but didn't answer. He struggled to sit up, only to have his cousin's hold firmly keep him down. "Don't move! You inhaled a lot of smoke! Focus on breathing!"

Zuko tried to push Lu Ten away as his eyes finally focused on the flames roaring from a building in front of him. His eyes widened as the scene in the abandoned wing filled him once more.

"Mom!" he yelled, immediately choking as a burning sensation filled his lungs. He began coughing. Tears were streaming down his face as he tried to get up. The entire wing was up in flames and dozens of men and women were running around trying to either bend the fire out or put it out with water.

Vaguely, he recalled seeing an old man who was visiting from the Southern Water Tribe run stream after stream of water through the buildings and keep the fire from spreading. Nothing much would be left of the building, but it looked like the fire was under control. Perhaps his mother had been saved, just as he was? Was she laying somewhere, being tended to? Was she taken to a healer?

"He'll be alright," he heard Lu Ten telling someone. Zuko lifted his head and saw his father standing a few paces away, staring blankly at the fire. His robes were undone and had burn marks. His hair wasn't tied and he was clutching something metal and covered with soot tightly in his hand.

He seemed almost out of place amongst the chaos happening around him.

"Father," Zuko strained to speak. "Father...Mom is..."

"She's dead." Ozai didn't look at him. His eyes were fixed on the burning building.. His voice was low and flat. His hand had tightened around the metal object; Ursa's hair pin. "She's gone."

* * *

**Guest Villa, Royal Palace, Ba Sing Se, Present**

"He was much more distant after her death," Zuko said as he laid against her. Katara was sitting up against the pillows of her bed. Zuko was beside her, with his head resting on her stomach as her fingers played with his thick, unruly hair. "He didn't do much to comfort me or Azula after we lost Mother. There were days, sometimes weeks, where we didn't see him at all. Whenever I tried to bring it up to him, he'd get angry and we'd argue." He paused and narrowed his eyes. "One day, it escalated further than it should've."

His hand unconsciously rose and touched the scar that marred the left side of his face. Warm, brown fingers lightly traced the back of his hand. "I still can't believe your own father would do this to you," she whispered as she blinked back her tears. "You're his  _son_. No matter how much you fought or how angry he was, he shouldn't have done this."

"I know," Zuko said as he closed his eyes. "The next thing I knew, Uncle was intervening and Lu Ten was picking me up. He took me to the palace healers, but there was nothing they could do to stop the scarring. They said it was a miracle I could still see. I couldn't believe what had happened."

"Then your father told you to leave?" Katara tried to piece together.

"He tried to disown me," Zuko let out bitterly. "He claimed someone so disrespectful was no son of his. Uncle tried to calm him, but realized that it could be dangerous for me around my father. He wanted me to spend a year abroad with my cousin to meet the other nations and gain some experience...my father caught wind of that and it turned into an eight year banishment."

Katara found herself getting angry. "Your uncle could do nothing?"

"My father got councilmen on his side; since we had fought, it could've been seen as an attempt on his life."

"That's ridiculous!"

"That's why I was so angry. My father came out untouched and injured his own son, yet I was in the wrong and deserved to be punished? I was a child!" Zuko scowled. "He was an adult! He should've handled it better!"

Katara's arm moved over his shoulder and she brought him closer to her. "I'm sorry, Zuko," she whispered as she leaned over him. "You didn't deserve what he did to you."

His jaw clenched. "I regret not saying good-bye to Azula, but I'm glad she wasn't there to see that."

"Do you think she knows?" Katara asked.

"I don't know," he replied as his fingers spread to allow hers to weave between them. He clasped her hand and brought it down to his lips. "It would be a shock. I'm sure you didn't know what my father had done to me."

She lowered her head, almost shamefully. Prince Ozai had always seemed very stern and standoffish. They rarely exchanged words, but he had never said anything to her that bothered her. Several times, after watching her and Azula spar in the courtyard, he had even complimented her on her bending.

"Azula never mentioned a banishment. I don't know if she knows or if she just didn't want to tell me the real reason," Katara told Zuko as he examined her hand in between kissing her fingertips.

"I'm sure it would've shamed her to know that her own brother had been banished." He sounded almost bitter and Katara furrowed her brows.

"What will you tell her when you see her again?" she asked. He tensed against her.

"I don't know," he replied. "With Azula, I can only react. If she's angry, she'll need to get it all out before I even get a word in."

"And what about your father?"

His lips tightened into a line as he glared at the ceiling. "I don't know if I even want to talk to him." She didn't urge him to reconsider or suggest what to do. Katara stayed quiet and continued to stroke his hair.

"Whatever happens," she began. "Thank you for telling me."

"I'm sorry I kept it for myself for so long," he said as he released a low breath. She felt him relax. "I'm glad I told you."

"Zuko," she said as her stroking stopped. "I may not be able to help you as much as you've helped me, but I won't let you go through this alone."

His eyes closed slowly, his heart momentarily settled. "I went through much of my banishment alone. Much of the time, I was angry. I didn't deserve to be sent out of my country to fend for myself."

A hand rested over his chest. "You didn't. Don't ever think you did."

"Still," Zuko continued. "No matter my circumstance, I still harbored anger for my situation, but in these last months, since we embarked on a journey with the Avatar, I stopped seeing it as a punishment. It became what it should've been for me; a journey to learn and experience life outside of the walls of the palace. Whatever the reason was for my leaving, I had done so...and I am glad I did."

Katara smiled above him. "When you leaned over the saddle that morning at the Southern Air Temple, and grabbed my hand to help me on to Appa, I was so relieved. I was hoping you'd join us."

Zuko shifted against her and pushed himself into a seated position beside her. He met her eyes seriously as his hands grasped hers.

"After the coronation, whether I make my peace with my sister and my father or not, I want to continue traveling with the Avatar," he said. "And you."

She smiled softly and nodded. "I'd like that."

* * *

Aang was certain that if anyone felt relieved that Zuko had told Katara about the circumstances behind him traveling outside of the Fire Nation, it was him. No longer did he have to be careful with his words so as not to reveal Zuko's personal details and no longer did he have to carry the weight of a secret on his shoulders.

When he had passed by a courtyard after feeding Appa and saw Katara and Zuko sparring with each other, Aang took note of their precise, concentrated movements and, even more telling, the smiles on their faces as they enjoyed the moment. The Avatar smiled to himself when he stood under the portico, watching steam hiss into the sky as the two elements collided in the courtyard.

The air around the two of them was lighter, more relaxed. He hoped it would continue until they reached the Fire Nation, but the closer they came, the more tense Zuko became. Aang knew he had good reason to be. No amount of reassuring him that everything would be fine could calm Zuko down and, if they were honest, they couldn't promise such an outcome.

"You didn't get anything for your cousin?" Katara asked. She had opted to try to take Zuko's mind off of reuniting with his father and sister by instead focusing on the reunions Zuko was actually looking forward to.

"I didn't know what to get him," Zuko replied as they flew over what felt like an endless ocean. The black-haired man was seated at the back of the saddle with his arms hanging over the edge as he looked back in the direction of the Earth Kingdom mainland.

"We do have one more stop until we reach the capital. Maybe you can find him a local good to bring back?" Katara suggested. She inwardly winced. She was kind of reaching there; Zuko's cousin was going to be crowned the next Fire Lord in several days. She doubted the man had need for anything.

"There are some great cookies where we're stopping," Aang shouted over his shoulder. "They have several kinds and they're usually topped with these little fruit things! I was told that they're actually really popular."

"Oh! I should get some for Azula!" Katara piped. She immediately regretted her words and made an apologetic face. Aang seemed to mirror her embarrassed regret before they looked back at Zuko.

A small, wry smile tugged at his lips and he reached forward and grasped her arm. "I'm sure she'll like them," he offered as he gently pulled her back. "I appreciate the suggestions, you two," he assured them. "You don't have to worry about me."

Katara slipped into the nook of his arm as she sat beside him. "We're not worried," she tried to explain. "We're just..." She trailed off, but couldn't think of another reason. Zuko let out a sigh as his arm rested around her.

Even he could see that his two travel companions were careful about what they mentioned. "So, Aang, are you going to have any part in the coronation ceremony?"

"I don't think so," Aang said. "I'm probably going to be seated with the Fire Mages. If they ask, I'll bless the new Fire Lord and maybe give a speech."

"A speech?" Katara raised a brow. "Do you have one prepared?"

"Yep!" Aang beamed as he looked over his shoulder. "I have several ones prepared!"

Zuko and Katara looked at each other, confused, before looking back at the Avatar. "Why do you have several?" the older man asked, almost hesitantly.

Aang looked pleased.

"I got the idea from a form I was signing when I went to Ba Sing Se the first time. The guard was preparing my papers and wasn't sure if I was considered a foreign dignitary, visiting religious advisor, tourist, or diplomat. When he presented me with all the papers, I noticed that they were all basically the same, but had a few differences that required fill in the blank. I figured that since I will probably be doing a lot of speeches, I should make a few general speech outlines for different occasions that I can re-use and tailor to the situation. I have one for opening new temples, dedicating train stations, weddings, birthdays, and, of course, coronations."

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "You have reusable speeches..."

"That's a bit impersonal, don't you think, Aang?" Katara asked.

"Oh, don't worry! I take great care in preparing them for the actual event," Aang assured them. "Zuko, your cousin will get a great speech, trust me. I once brought the visitors to tears when I dedicated a zoo!"

Zuko leaned back against the saddle. "Should I be worried that he's trying to reassure me based on a speech he gave at a zoo?" he whispered in a low voice. Katara chuckled and placed a quick kiss on his cheek.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. He is the Avatar, after all."

"Hey, guys," Aang called from atop Appa's head. "Do you think they'll give me a discount if I buy a few boxes of those cookies? I don't know when we'll be back."

Zuko gave Katara a dull look and she chuckled. "Let's try to talk them down on the price if we group our order!"

"Thanks!" Aang beamed. "I can't wait to have some. With some nice tea, it's like all your problems seem to melt away."

* * *

Katara found him seated on the dock just outside the beach hut they were staying in for the night. His feet hovered over the water as he slumped forward, his bare elbows on his knees as one hand held a paper bag of cookies as the other brought one to his mouth. He almost looked like a little boy pouting instead of a man in deep thought.

The waterbender slipped her feet into a pair of slippers by the entrance of their hut before slowly making her way out to the dock. The moonlight was more than enough to light the way.

"Nice night for some snacks?" she asked with a small smile.

Zuko seemed to snap out of his thoughts and turned his head towards her. He looked back at his half-empty cookie bag. "Aang was right; they're really good."

"I know," Katara acknowledged. "I had to lock away the rest to keep him from eating them, remember? It'll be a miracle he didn't get a stomach ache." She stopped beside him and he scooted over to make room for her. He needn't do so, as there was plenty of room, but it was more an invitation.

Silently, Katara took a seat beside him and dangled her feet over the water. Her thigh rested against his as he moved his cookie bag towards her. She shook her head and declined. The hot, humid air signaled their arrival in Fire Nation territory. By the next afternoon, they were scheduled to land in the capital.

"Think these will melt my problems away if I get some tea?" he asked with a hint of sadness.

"I don't think that's the way it works," Katara said. She moved her hand on to his lap and rested her head against this shoulder. "I take it you couldn't sleep?"

"It's kind of hard to when you know that tomorrow, you'll be returning to a place you were banished from." The firebender allowed his head to rest atop hers. "I don't know what to expect. My banishment wasn't public knowledge. I was simply going on a journey. Am I supposed to act as if that was the truth?" His eyes narrowed as he glared at the water. "There were nights I spent sleeping on the ground, shivering and days where I went without food. How is that a journey for a member of the royal family?"

Her hand squeeze his knee reassuringly and she tilted her head and buried it against her shoulder. "But none of that broke you, Zuko. You continued on and it made you stronger. You're not the boy that left home all those years ago."

A small snort escaped him. "I suppose you're going to tell me that I'm coming home a man now?"

"If it helps..."

Zuko sighed and lowered the bag of cookies. "I don't know if anything will help. You'd think after eight years, I would've prepared myself for this. A few months ago, I couldn't wait to return. Uncle was right in believing that I should've been at the gates the day my banishment was lifted."

Katara offered him a small, hopeful smile as her fingers slipped between his. "I don't mind that you weren't."

Despite his mood, he found himself mirroring her tiny smile. His fingers curled, clasping her warm hand in his. "I know I have to go back," he acknowledged. "Not just for my cousin's coronation or see him and my Uncle, but I should explain to Azula what had happened."

Her hand squeezed his. "She will listen. She will be angry, but she will listen. Believe me, Zuko, Azula wants her brother back."

"Even if I don't stay?" he reminded her.

Katara chuckled and lifted her her head to look at him. "Maybe she'll want to come along." Zuko made a face and she giggled. "She's not bad."

"I actually prefer our current party," he replied before looking back out at the water. "Support Aang, helping people...putting souls to rest. Even if I don't do much."

"Don't do much?" Katara scoffed as she pulled her head back. "Have you forgotten how many times you've saved me already? I would've fallen apart with my vision if you haven't been there. You calmed me down, forced me to connect with the spirits so I could overcome my fears." Her eyes crinkled up as he turned to look at her. "You supported me and you were there when I needed you." Her warm hand reached up and cupped the side of his face. "You have done more for me than I could ever ask for and if I could do the same for you, I will."

A pained look reached his eyes as his free hand moved over hers. "I don't want to have to drag you into whatever it is I need to face. My issues lay with my sister and my father, Katara. If we fight and argue, I don't want you getting stuck in the middle of it."

"You can't just expect me to sit aside and watch you go through this alone, do you?" she asked. Her brows furrowed. "After everything we've been through, I can't do that."

His head turned and he moved his lips against her palm, gently kissing her as he lowered his eyes. "You have to trust me on this," he told her gently. "Be assured that if I do need support, you are the first person I will seek."

Zuko drew his head back and Katara crinkled her eyes. "I will be right by your side," she told him. "You won't have to look far."

He leaned forward and swept his lips against hers. Their eyes closed lightly as she leaned forward and accepted the kiss. They lingered there for a few moments before his hand stoked the side of his face and he pulled away.

"Get some sleep," he whispered against her. The warmth of his breath felt nice against her skin. "I'll stay here a bit longer and will come in later."

Katara swallowed the lump in her throat as she gave him a small nod. Her eyes lowered as she slowly rose from the dock. Silently, she headed back to the rented hut. Her tongue ran along her lips. Zuko tasted like sweet cookies. It was a sweet, gentle, comforting kiss.

"You're going to find his mother, aren't you?" a quiet voice said as she stepped into the hut. Katara paused at the doorway, but said nothing. Aang saw her head nod slightly. "Why didn't you tell him?"

"He has a lot on his mind," Katara replied. "I don't want to burden him or make promises when I don't know what I'll see."

She crept towards her cot across the room. Aang mulled over her words. "This would be the first time you've set out to find a spirit first," he said. "And it may not be pleasant. Are you sure about this?"

Katara sat down and slowly nodded. "He needs to find out what happened, Aang. If I can help him find closure, I will."

He didn't answer immediately. "I'm not going to stop you, but at least tell me when you're going," he told her. "If I can help, I will, as well."

She gave him a wry smile. "Thanks, Aang." She hesitated. "About my vision..."

"If you wish to tell someone, I will leave that to you," the Avatar replied. "But I'll do what I have to if something happens."

* * *

He could see the harbor they were approaching. A few ships dotting the waters, preparing to go in or out of the gate that enclosed the harbor. Honestly, he wished he were on one of the ones leaving. Zuko caught his train of thought and he shook his head to get it out.

No, he had to do this.

Yet, as the harbor, the plaza, and the crater city grew closer, he could feel his chest tightening and his hands starting to shake as he gripped the side of the saddle.

Katara's hand moved over his as she sat beside him, looking out at the capital. She looked over her shoulder and called out to Aang. "Are we heading directly into the caldera?"

"No, we need to sign customs papers first," Aang said. "Then we'll head to the city."

Katara nodded and turned back to Zuko. With one hand still over his, she raised her other one and gently stroked his arm up and down to try and soothe him. "How are you feeling?"

"Terrible."

Katara winced and squeezed his hand as they looked down. She squinted as she saw several rows of people waiting in the very center of plaza walkway. There were banners, a palanquin, and the several rows weren't just of people, she realized. They were royal guards.

"It looks like someone has come to meet us!" Aang said.

Zuko could feel a knot growing in his stomach and slamming against his insides. He had hoped to get to the palace in relative obscurity so that if there was any clash, it would be kept private and away from the eyes of the city's citizens.

"Those are royal standards," he said in a low voice. He recognized the narrow, vertical flags that were waving in the air. "Azula has come to meet us."

Katara looked confused and turned towards him. "How do you know it's Azula?"

"The Fire Lord and Lu Ten should be waiting at the palace." Zuko's face darkened. "My father wouldn't show up to greet me," he spat. "It must be Azula."

Katara tried to look hopeful and rubbed his arm once more. "Isn't that good? She came to meet you."

"I doubt by choice."

"Zuko..."

Appa let out a snort as he prepared for his descent. They circled the sky above the harbor twice before they came in for their landing. A wide, open space was left for them to land on before the awaiting princess and her entourage.

Air was lifted up as Appa set down on the stone path. the sheer curtains of Azula's palanquin were raised and within, the princess narrow her eyes. They didn't settle on the visiting Avatar or her old friend. They were focused on her long estranged brother.

Aang airbended himself off of Appa and beamed. "Hi, everyone!"

"Avatar Aang," Azula's smooth, calculated voice greeted him, but her attention remained on Zuko. Her four bearers lowered her palanquin and two guards held apart the curtains as she uncrossed her legs slipped out of her ride.

She watched as Zuko stood by the edge of the sky bison's saddle, looking towards Katara as she gathered her things. Her eyes narrowed and she slid her foot back.

"Great!" Aang was telling one of the officers who had come to meet them. "I'm glad I don't have to fill them out this time. Can Appa stay at the royal stables?"

Crackling was heard and he turned his head towards the sound. His eyes widened as the Fire Nation princess drew her arms in a circle. Blue-white electricity sparked around her as her eyes focused at Zuko. Aang opened his mouth to stop her, but the lightning had already gathered and it need a place to go.

"Azula, stop!" Katara's voice was all Zuko heard as he saw the flickering light from the corner of his eye.

He had expected a sharp comment or a snide remark about him from his sister, perhaps he'd throw a fireball at him. However, lightning?

Zuko jumped from the saddle. As soon as he hit the ground, he shot forward. His hand reached out and grabbed Azula's pointed fingers. The surge of electricity filled him and he turned his body to the side to re-direct the lightning elsewhere. A moment later, thunder boomed as the blue current shot into the sky.

A furious look filled his face as he shoved his sister back, grabbing her arm and twisting it behind her, forcing her to turn away from him. "Are you crazy!?" he growled. "You could've killed Katara or Apppa!"

"Not if it would've hit you first," Azula replied calmly. Zuko grit his teeth.

"Zuko," Aang said as calmly as he could. "It would've missed them. It's alright."

"I was just trying to scare you a little," Azula said smugly. "If you had stood still, it would've gone over your head."

"Zuko," Aang repeated. "Let her go."

Gold eyes bore into the self-satisfied ones of his sister. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the royal guards surrounding him, ready to attack on the word.

"What's wrong?" Azula asked. "Not the welcome you hoped for?"

Angrily, Zuko threw her arm down and stepped back. Azula straightened up and held her hand up to silently order the guards back into their positions. With one eye still on his sister, Zuko made his way back to Appa and to Katara.

The waterbender held a hand over her chest as she released a heavy breath. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at Azula. "I thought we discussed that shooting lightning at people is not a proper way to greet them," she said firmly.

Azula smirked as Katara stood up and prepared to climb down. "Please, Katara, I'm a wonderful hostess. Everyone likes to see lightning every now and again."

Katara rolled her eyes. She climbed over the saddle and reached for Zuko's hand. Once it grasped her firmly, she slid down the side of the bison. Zuko easily caught her and helped steady her.

"I thought you said she wasn't bad," he muttered quickly.

"You should see how she greets Sokka," Katara replied. She lifted a hand and patted his cheek gently. "You okay?"

"Surprised."

The corner of her lip pulled up into a little smile. "You're just filled with answers today, aren't you?"

Azula narrowed her eyes once more. Her brother hadn't released the waterbender's hand. Katara turned towards the princess and finally slipped her hand from Zuko's. She brought her it against her other one and bowed.

"It's good to see you, Azula."

It surprised Zuko to see Azula mirror Katara's greet. "Likewise. Welcome once more to the Fire Nation, waterbender."

"How come Katara gets a bow, but she didn't even look at me?" Aang wrinkled his nose beside Zuko.

"At least she didn't throw lighting at you," Zuko retorted.

"True..."

"Bow to our guest!" Azula barked. The soldiers all seemed to straight up before clasping one hand in the other and bowing towards the still bowed Water Tribe woman. "Bow to the Avatar!"

Aang scrambled to bow back politely. "I am humbled to return!"

Zuko readied himself to be ignored.

"Kneel before your prince!" Azula ordered.

Zuko's eyes widened at the unexpected greeting. All at once, his sister's entourage of guards and flagmen bent down and lowered their heads in his direction. While Zuko was certain the action was only done at his sister's order, the fact that Azula even ordered it amazed him.

Azula lifted her head and met her brother's gaze. Despite her words, he could see a displeased glint in her eyes. She wasn't as pleased to see him as her order had suggested. "Raise."

The two Fire Nation siblings locked eyes and the air between them was thick. Katara moved closer to Zuko and grasped his hand once more. The movement seemed to remind him of where they were and he blinked. He turned to Katara and offered her a small nod, as if answering her silent question of whether or not he was alright.

Aang's eyes darted from the couple to the princess and back. Azula's lips pulled ever slightly into a frown and he hoped that she wasn't displeased with the closeness that his two traveling companions shared. Hoping to divert attention, he spoke up once more.

"Umm...so...who is ready to go to the palace!?" he asked in an forced, energetic voice. "I'd like to greet Fire Lord Iroh, if possible."

Azula slowly moved her eyes back towards him. "Of course, Avatar," she replied. She stepped back and jumped easily into her palanquin. "Let us return to the palace."

The soldiers straightened up once more and turned as one, in a precise movement. Azula's palanquin was turned around and the entourage began to move back down the path to get to the caldera.

Behind them, Appa turned and let out a heavy breath to get their attention. Katara turned around and smiled warmly. "Thanks, Appa...it is a long walk up there."

She began to climb up the side of the sky bison once more while Aang bended himself up. Zuko stared after his sister a moment longer before finally climbing up behind Katara. She reached over the saddle and took hold of his arm as he offered it, helping him pull back up.

Silently, he took a seat beside her and kept his eyes fixed forward as Appa lumbered behind the royal party.

Katara glanced down and saw Zuko's fists clenched atop his legs. His jaw was locked and tense. Without a word, she grasped one of his hands in hers and brought it to her lips to gently kiss his knuckles as he often did with hers to reassure her. Zuko could only close his eyes and take a deep breath to try to ready himself for what was to come.

Despite the length of the walk back to the caldera, through the city streets and to the gates of the palace, he still felt it was too short. They reached the top of the zig-zagging road and his eyes widened. He hadn't bothered to look back at the lower city that surrounded the harbor and he hadn't noticed the lanterns and banners that had been raised in preparation for his cousin's coronation.

However, he could not ignore the rows and rows of massive red and gold lanterns and filled every street and small alley in the crater city. The main road leading to the palace was lined with the celebratory decorations and as they made their way towards the palace in the heart of the crater, he could hear the shouts of the people that lined the way.

Soldiers stood on the edges of the streets to keep the citizens at bay.

"Welcome home, Prince Zuko!" He snapped his head to the side. Was he hearing things?

"Welcome back, young prince!" someone shouted from the crowds.

"Welcome home!"

"Zuko," Aang smiled from atop Appa. "They're calling for you!"

He refused to believe it. A look of uncertainty was on his face as his eyes scanned the crowds of red and black. They were waving at him, reaching out their hands towards him, and calling out his name.

"Wave to them," Katara whispered beside him.

"What?" he looked at her, confused.

She looked up and smiled. "Wave to them," she repeated as she squeezed his hand. "Their youngest prince has returned."

Still unconvinced, Zuko hesitantly raised his left hand. A modest, subtle wave was made and the people cheered. His eyes crinkled up as he felt a sharp pain in his sinuses. His eyes damped just a bit. His people were welcoming him home.

Ahead of them, he could see the palace. Beyond the massive wall that circled it, he could see the towers with their red glazed tile. It used to be such a familiar sight to him...and he could've sworn they were taller.

The doors to the gates began to open as Azula, at the head of the procession, reached the entrance. They reached the courtyard and at the top of the few steps, at the very mouth of the palace, were two figures waiting for him.

Zuko's eyes watered. "Uncle..." He moved to the front of the saddle and rose to his feet to get a better look. "Lu Ten..."

He had missed them so much. His eyes squinted as they neared. Lu Ten's beard had grown out. It looked good on him. And Iroh's hair had started to go gray. Zuko smiled. It suited him well.

Azula's palanquin was taken to the side, allowing for Avatar Aang and his company reach the front steps of the palace. Aang quickly jumped from Appa and landed on the bottom step. He bowed his head as he brought his hands together.

"Greetings, Fire Lord Iroh! Prince Lu Ten!"

Above him, both the father and son bowed their heads. "Welcome, Avatar Aang," the younger man greeted.

"Thank you for coming, Avatar," Iroh added. The three of them straightened and Iroh's watery eyes moved to the saddle. "And thank you for bringing him back to us."

Zuko took a deep breath.  _Stay calm, Zuko._  He told himself.  _Just breathe._  Steadying himself, he stepped over the side of the saddle and carefully slid down Appa's side. He took several steps before his uncle and cousin, but made no move to climb the stairs to them.

He closed his eyes and bowed his head before slowly taking a knee before them. "Fire Lord Iroh, my most esteemed uncle," he greeted. "Prince Lu Ten, my dear cousin, thank you for your welcome."

Behind him, Katara slowly slid down Appa, smiling softly. "Raise, Zuko," Iroh told him gently.

Obediently, Zuko rose to his feet. He lifted his head and stood in place as the Fire Lord came down the steps. His eyes crinkled as they rimmed with tears. His arms stretched out to engulf him as his warm, scratchy voice reached Zuko's ears. "Welcome home, my nephew."

Zuko closed his eyes, forgetting royal protocol and wrapped his arms around his uncle. "It is good to see you, Uncle."

"You're forgetting about me," Lu Ten chuckled as he came down the steps. As Iroh gave Zuko one more squeeze, the youngest prince looked up and smiled at his grinning cousin. "Look at you...I don't recall ever telling you to grow taller than me."

Iroh stepped aside and Lu Ten grasped Zuko's forearm. He pulled his cousin into a tight, brotherly embrace. The two of them stood there for a moment as Zuko tried to keep himself from crying. "What about you and your beard?" he laughed, hoping his voice didn't shake as he stepped back.

"Nice isn't it?" Lu Ten grinned and lifted a hand to stroke his beard. "I think it's suiting."

"You definitely look like a Fire Lord," Zuko chuckled. Lu Ten looked past him at the smiling waterbender. He glanced back at his younger cousin and elbowed his arm knowingly. Zuko gave him a questioning look.

"And if it isn't Miss Katara of the Southern Water Tribe," Iroh greeted the woman who bowed respectfully towards him. "Welcome back. I was told that you have also joined the Avatar on his journeys."

"Only in the last few months," Katara replied. "Thank you for having me back, Fire Lord. I apologize for the inconvenience. I am aware I wasn't technically invited-"

"What are you talking about, Katara?" Lu Ten stepped around Zuko and lifted his hands. "You know you are always welcomed here! You'll sit with the guest of honors and have a perfect view of the ceremony," he assured her. Automatically, Katara gave him a bow. "A bow? I thought us more familiar after you nearly drowned me that one time."

Katara visibly cringed. "I thought you were Azula...," she trailed off. Lu Ten threw his head back and laughed as he offered his arm to her. Politely, Katara took it and allowed him to bring her forward.

"Come, come, there is a brilliant meal waiting for us inside," he told them. He lead Katara forward, placing her beside Zuko before moving past them to tell the guards to bring Appa to the stables. "And Avatar, we've prepared our best vegetarian dishes for you."

Aang smiled wider. "Great! You can't really get spicy vegetarian food outside the Fire Nation, you know," he said as he seemed to follow the Fire Lord and his son up the steps.

"Really?" Lu Ten asked, sounding interested.

"Don't get me wrong, Air Temple food is excellent, but it doesn't have that kick that your spices here have..."

Behind them, Zuko looked at Katara with a content smile on his face. Without a word, he offered her his arm. Katara smiled and placed hers on his. They followed the three and Zuko leaned towards her. "You nearly drowned my cousin?"

"Azula and I were having a bit of a competition and I heard someone coming around the corner. I thought it was her and I bent nearly half a pond at him accidentally," Katara admitted. "I thought he was going to throw me in the dungeon."

"Lu Ten wouldn't do that," Zuko found himself chuckling.

"I know that know now, but not then," Katara said.

"She started crying," another voice cut in. Katara rolled her eyes as Zuko tensed against her. Azula appeared beside Katara. "I kept telling her that Lu Ten didn't care."

"No," Katara frowned. Zuko's brows were furrowed. That didn't sound like his sister. "You told me he was going to lock me away and put an embargo on the Southern Tribe." Zuko mentally nodded to himself;  _that_  sounded like his sister.

"That's right," Azula smirked, pleased. "I did, didn't I?"

"It doesn't matter," Katara seemed to relax. Her other hand rose and rested over the one that was on Zuko's arm. She turned to look at him and smiled. "We got her back."

Azula barely held in a snort. "I don't recall-"

"Didn't your head itch for a week a few days later?" Katara said softly. Azula's eyes widened.

"That was you!?" she hissed. "You treacherous little..." She quickly composed herself. "Well...I see you've managed to keep up again, waterbender. Well done."

Katara chuckled slightly. "I missed you, too, Azula," she said as they reached two tall double doors that led to the dining hall. "And before I forget, I brought you some cookies."

Azula gave her an affronted look. "Cookies? You couldn't bring anything more fitting for a princess? What kind of dignitary are you?"

"I'm not here as a dignitary, Azula," Katara said. "I'm here as a friend." She met the woman's gold eyes. "But if you don't want them, I'm sure they'll go great with Lord Iroh's tea."

Azula merely turned her head away and looked straight ahead. "Very well, peasant. I will accept your offering."

Katara smiled triumphantly and Zuko smiled slightly at her joy. He was always a bit impressed that she handled his sister so well. They proceeded into the hall and as Iroh stepped around a long dining table. With Aang following him and Lu Ten going around the other side, another figure rose from his seat.

Katara took a step and felt resistance on her left side. Against her, she could feel Zuko's arm tense once more and she turned towards him. His earlier smile was gone and his face had grown pale. His eyes were fixed directly across from him as he stood, unmoving, in place. Katara followed his gaze and felt her stomach drop.

In the moment, she had forgotten that there was one more member of the Fire Nation's royal family.

A tall, lean man with sharp features and thick, black hair in a top knot was standing beside a chair to the left of the Fire Lord's. He wore dark red robes accented with gold and, now that Katara knew Zuko, could see that Ozai and the banished prince did resemble each other.

Zuko's pause at the entrance to the dining hall caused Lu Ten to stop as he reached his chair. His earlier cheerful smile was gone and a serious look graced his face as he looked at his uncle. Iroh tried to defuse the tension in the room.

"Ozai," he began in a firm, but understanding voice. "You had declined the earlier invitation. I am pleased to see you changed your mind." His younger brother didn't respond, but what bothered Katara the most was that he wasn't looking at Zuko. Her eyes narrowed. He wasn't acknowledging his son  _at all_.

"Uncle, Zuko has returned," Lu Ten's voice was sharper than his father's and Katara's gaze darted back to him. Normally, one wouldn't talk to an older relative in such a tone, but Lu Ten was of a higher rank and, if Zuko's fondness for Lu Ten was mutual, Lu Ten's hardened words came from a place of anger and resentment for a man who had sent his young cousin away. "Will you not welcome him?"

Ozai kept his eyes on the table. "I only came to greet the Avatar," he said in a low voice.

Katara felt a stab in her heart. Her hand squeezed Zuko's arm, desperate to give him support as the man beside her listened to his own father purposely ignore him.

"Ozai!" Iroh sounded angry. "Will you not acknowledge your own son when he returns after eight years!?"

Even Aang seemed to cower back as Iroh yelled at his brother. Azula stood silently in the corner, looking away from her father and her brother. Lu Ten was glaring at his uncle. Zuko was starting to shake.

"Eight years?" Ozai slowly lifted his head. "He shouldn't have returned at all!"

"Ozai! Iroh growled.

"I denounced him as mine ages ago," Ozai hissed. He turned his head, finally looking at Zuko with a cold look on his face. "I have no son."

Before Iroh could interject once more, Zuko took a step forward. "There is no son here that calls you father!" he spat out bitterly. "And I wouldn't have returned at all if not for my cousin and Uncle. If I did not wish to see them and Azula," he added, not seeing the woman in the corner lift her head curiously at his words. "I would never have come back!"

"Zuko...," Iroh said in a painful voice. Surely, his nephew did not mean that.

"This is no longer my home," Zuko said as he took a step back as he sent Ozai a hateful glare. "And I no longer have a father."

"Zuko!" Katara tried to stop him as he swept past her. "Zuko!" He walked out of the dining hall and without hesitation, Katara went after him. He was walking quickly and couldn't even hear the sound of her voice over his anger. "Zuko, wait!"

Her hands grabbed his arm and, not thinking, he tore his arm away. Katara stumbled forward and Zuko's eyes widened. "Katara..." He reached out to steady her as she regained her balance in front of him. "I'm sor-"

Katara grabbed his arms, as if to keep him in place. "Where are you going?" she demanded as her fingers dug into his arms. He shook his head and tried to pull his arms out of her grip. She refused to let go so easily. "Zuko-"

"I can't stay here," he told her, his voice rushed. A pained look filled his face and Katara felt her heart twist at his expression. "I can't, Katara. I can't be around him."

She couldn't blame him. How could she when she had been there and heard his father tell them, full of conviction, that he had no son? She took deep breath and put on a determined look.

"I'll come with you," she whispered. She released his arms and stepped back. "Just let me get my things and-"

"Stay here," Zuko told her. "You are a guest here. I'm not going to drag you with me simply because I can't stand to be around that man."

She narrowed her eyes. "And I will not let you let you go alone," she persisted. "If you go, I go."

His face softened for just a moment as his hands rose and cupped the sides of her warm, brown face. "I won't be far," he seemed to promise. "And I won't leave. When the coronation is over, we'll leave together with Aang and Appa, just like we planned. Stay as a guest, for my cousin and Uncle and Azula. Didn't Lu Ten say you'll be seated with the guests of honor?"

Katara closed her eyes and shook her head as he held her. "I want to stay with you."

He found himself hesitating. Just moments earlier, he was ready to completely leave the Fire Nation to get away from Ozai.

His thumbs gently wiped the warm tears collecting in the corners of her eyes. "Katara," he said softly. " _Please_...I can't speak to him right now...we can't even be in the same room together...and I just need time to...to think."

She bit her lower lip. She had to give him his space. Katara knew what was going on; she had to respect his wishes as he did hers. Solemnly, she nodded. "I will be here if you need me."

His hand stroked her face intently as he lowered his head and gently kissed the top of her head.

Zuko stepped back and looked at her for a moment longer before he turned around and walked out of the palace.

Katara closed her eyes and lifted her hand to wipe at them. Everything was going well, wasn't it? Azula was abrasive, but welcomed Zuko. Tears of joy had been expressed when Iroh and Lu Ten brought Zuko into their arms. Even the city had cheered for him.

"One of my personal guards will follow him to make sure he doesn't do anything foolish," Azula's voice came from behind her.

"He wouldn't do that," Katara frowned as she turned around.

"Then at the very least, we will know his where-abouts," the firebender said. "If you are still capable of it, come and eat."

Katara could almost hear Zuko urging her to do so after their long trip. She frowned. He must've been hungry as well. "Can the servants pack some food?"

"Of course," Azula replied. "I'll have them pack some of his favorites." Katara lifted her head and looked at Azula. How did she know she wanted to bring it to Zuko? The golden-eyed woman rolled her eyes once more. "They way he looks at you and how you ran after him," the princess stated dully. "Why else would you want the servants to pack food?"

A worn smile appeared on Katara's lips. "Thank you, Azula." She stepped forward to embrace the firebender. Azula didn't try to avoid her, nor did she embrace Katara back, but she did awkwardly try to pat Katara on the back.

Katara looked up, towards the dining hall and saw a tall man start to walk away from where he had been standing. She narrowed her eyes. Had Ozai come out to watch Zuko leave?


	13. Chapter Thirteen

He managed to get outside of the palace doors when he realized he couldn't simply walk out the gates. Just a few moments earlier he had paraded through the caldera city with much fanfare and leaving suddenly would raise concerns. Why would the newly arrived prince leave unless something was wrong?

Zuko had no choice but to sneak out of the palace. He slipped out of the service entrance at the rear of the palace and took a roundabout way to get out of the caldera. There were too many families of influence with connections to his that he didn't want to run into and explain why he wasn't staying at the palace or with his father. As far as he was concerned, his banishment was a private matter and he didn't want to raise a fuss about it.

Consequently, it had taken him much longer than usual to reach the harbor, where there were more inns for visitors who were stopping over night to wait for a connecting ship. It was also far less likely for him to run into anyone who might recognize him there.

His room faced the ocean and he welcomed the warm breeze that swept in as he tied back his curtains. He placed his hands on the worn window sill and slumped forward, letting out a deep breath as he finally allowed himself to relax. Zuko closed his eyes and tried to get his thoughts straight. If he could simply avoid his father for the duration of the trip, he'd be fine with that. He'd simply stay outside the palace and avoid Ozai during the times he was on palace grounds.

His hands tightened against the window sill and he grit his teeth. It sounded as if he were running away. Zuko pushed himself off and began to pace his room. No, he was not running away. He simply didn't want to spend his first time back in the Fire Nation dealing with a bitter, hateful man. It bothered his uncle, his cousin, and not to mention put Aang and Katara in awkward positions.

He grit his teeth, irritated that he had caused them trouble. Zuko shook his head and untied the sash around his waist that held his outer vest and tunic closed, tossing it onto a chair in the corner of his room before he shrugged off the heavy outer vest. As he tugged his arm out of one sleeve, he slowed his movements.

He could still feel Katara's hand tightening around his arm when he came face to face with his father. Zuko stopped beside his bed and looked at the floor. Even though he expected such a reaction from his father, even if he had tried to convince himself he was ready for it, Ozai's harsh words still hurt him. Though, for a moment, it seemed to have hurt Katara more.

He closed his eyes and sat down on the edge of his bed. He would have to send word to tell her where he was staying, though part of him was concerned that she would come find him. He let out a small, accepting chuckle as he allowed himself to fall back on his bed, with his arms spread out beside him. Despite all his words earlier insisting that she stay at the palace, he really wouldn't mind if she were with him.

Zuko felt his body start to relax as he sank into the worn cushions of the bed. His body was heavy and finally having a chance to rest after being gripped with anxiety and tension at his return for the last few days was welcomed. He didn't realize how tired he was.

It was a shame Katara hadn't come. Her cool, smooth hand against his head would ease him and the thought of it made him miss her even more. Perhaps he had taken it for granted that she was always around...now that he thought about it, it would be the first time in awhile where they were separated.

 _She's too far..._  A small voice complained in the back of his mind. It was all right, he asserted as he felt himself falling asleep. She would be safe at the palace and Aang and Azula would keep watch over her. If the rituals hadn't been changed since he left, then the main palace would've been cleansed with prayer in the new year, as it always was, and she didn't have to worry about seeing ghosts if she stayed with Azula there.

His brows furrowed. Still, he wished she were with him.

That was the last thought he had before he fell asleep.

Heavy, consistent knocking was coming from the door and he winced at the sound. He didn't know how long he had been sleeping, but whoever it was wasn't going to stop any time soon.

"I'm coming..." His voice was hoarse and he let out a small cough. Zuko pushed himself off the bed and ran a hand down his face as he stumbled to the door. The knocking stopped, but whoever was there was probably waiting for him to open the door. As he gripped the door handle, a thought occurred to him: who would be knocking on his door?

Zuko tensed up. The thought jarred him fully awake as he began to consider who was on the other side of the door. Was it the owner? He had paid his deposit for his stay...perhaps it wasn't enough? Perhaps royal guards? Or Lu Ten? It was highly likely that his cousin would come to find him and drag him back to the palace personally. That was something Lu Ten would do. Zuko let out a heavy breath.

He didn't want to argue against Lu Ten...he was tired and, now that he thought about it, he was hungry, too. He'd missed lunch and he barely had any breakfast, despite Katara's insistence that morning.

The knocking started once more and he frowned. He might as well get it over it.

His hand tightened around the door handle and pulled it open.

Wide blue stared back at him as a small, surprised gasp escaped the brown-haired woman in front of him. He recognized Katara immediately: her clear, bright eyes; her smooth brown face; and her hair...

Her hair loopies were gone; that was the first difference he noticed. Her usually braided hair was loose, with the top half pulled up into a simple top knot. Thick, tied locks framed her face.

The lower his eyes got, the more differences he noticed. Her usually bone and animal hide accessories were gone and instead, she had gold on her arms. He didn't recall her ever having gold jewelry. There was even a red silk choker around her neck that came to a point nicely above the hollow between her clavicles. Zuko licked his lips. It looked very good on her.

Furthermore, Katara's clothes were red and...not covering as much.

"Hello." Katara lowered her eyes as her hands gripped the basket she had come with. "I'm sorry for bothering you after you told me to stay at the palace."

"What are you wearing?" Katara's head jerked up and her eyes crinkled as Zuko mentally slapped himself. He took a shaky step back and turned his face away as he felt it heat up, mortified that he had actually said his thoughts aloud.

Katara looked down at her clothes. A warm flush filled her cheeks. "Oh, I usually wear Fire Nation clothes when I'm here. Azula keeps them for me," she explained. "My normal Water Tribe clothes, even the thinner ones, don't breathe well in the heat and humidity."

Zuko could feel his head nodding. He remained standing at the doorway, looking at her. He wasn't saying anything and Katara began to fidget. She looked past him, into his room, as if hinting that she wanted to go inside instead of stand awkwardly in the hall. She had already stood there for some time, mentally debating on whether or not coming was good idea.

"You look beautiful." She almost didn't hear him. Katara looked back at Zuko with a surprised expression. A small, thoughtful smile appeared on his face and a feeling of relief swept through her as his eyes softened. "Not that you don't normally...red just suits you more than I expected."

For a moment, the waterbender didn't know what to say. Iroh had complimented her when she ran into him and Lu Ten on her way out. Lu Ten had lifted a hand to his chest and let out a pained groan, exclaiming that if he had known she was going to grow up so beautifully, he would've been much more generous when she was younger. Then again, Lu Ten always said overly flowery compliments like that. Azula claimed she hated them, but was actually quite fond of her cousin's ridiculously elaborate compliments.

However, Zuko didn't seem the like type to compliment her on her appearance. On her bending, yes; on her cooking, of course; and on her strength and perseverance, it went without saying. But on how she looked? It was unexpected, but not unwelcomed.

She lifted a hand and brushed some hair back behind an ear as she looked down, avoiding his eyes. "Thank you...," she muttered, embarrassed.

"Katara," Zuko began, finally regaining his senses. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh!" She looked back up and lifted the basket. "You didn't have lunch, so asked Azula to have the servants pack some food."

"All right," Zuko nodded. He tilted his head to the side, a bit confused. "But how did you know I was  _here_?" He had been quite careful about avoiding not just other nobles, but guards and sentry, as well.

Katara looked away. "Azula had someone follow you..." He let out a heavy breath and tilted his head back.

Of course his sister did. Zuko stepped aside, defeated. "Come in," he said. "I'm sorry you had to come all this way," he added as Katara walked in past him.

"I wanted to come," she told him as she looked around for a place to put the basket. "You didn't have much of a breakfast. I'm sure you're starving."

"I'm not-" A low rumble from his stomach cut him off and Katara gave him a curious look from the table against the wall. Zuko's face reddened as he closed the door behind him.

"You're not hungry?" she asked with a hint of a smirk as she put the basket on the table.

He shot her a small glare. "I'm not helpless," he retorted. "I was going to get dinner."

Katara frowned. "How long were you asleep?" she asked as she looked into the basket and began taking out covered bowls and jars. "You should've gone to get something to eat before you took a nap. What if I didn't come by and wake you? You would've slept through the night and  _then_  what would you do?"

"Buy breakfast, I suppose," Zuko admitted as he sat across the room, at the foot of his bed. "You didn't have to come." He could see her shoulders stiffen as her movements slowed. She placed a set of plates on the table.

"I know you told me to stay at the palace," Katara said without looking at him. She reached into the basket to retrieve some chopsticks. "And I was going to give your space - and I will," she insisted as she looked over her shoulder. "I just..."

"Wanted to make sure I was all right?" he concluded. Katara nodded guiltily. Zuko smiled sadly. He rose to his feet once more. "I'm not mad that you came. I'm just concerned that something or, rather, someone will fall into your line of vision and overwhelm you."

Katara turned around and let out a heavy sigh. "Azula made me take a palanquin and I ended up falling asleep on the way down. The warm air, the comfy ride after the long trip...it was kind of inevitable."

"I'm relieved to hear it," he admitted. He placed his hands gently on her shoulders and gave them a smalls squeeze before trailing down the length of her arms. "Are they waiting for you downstairs?"

Katara looked away once more and shook her head. "I sent them back."

Zuko furrowed his brows and frowned. "Sent them back? Why? Do you plan on walking back up? You know it'll be night fall by the time you reach the caldera." He shook his head disapprovingly. Nighttime was the best time for spirits to appear. In his experience, they were at their strongest then and he didn't want Katara to have to deal with them on the long walk back. He walked to the chair and grabbed his outer vest. "I'll take you back," he said as he slid his arms through. "If we leave now, we'll still have some light-"

"Zuko." Katara's voice stopped him. He turned to look at her questioningly. "I know I said I would let you have your space, but...I don't want to leave you right now." She sounded pained and her expression was despondent. "Can't I stay a little longer?"

He hesitated. "If you stay longer, it'll be late by the time you get back."

"I know, but, please...can't I stay a little bit longer?"

Zuko's arms fell at his side. He didn't like seeing that sad look on her face. He didn't want her to worry over him. It physically hurt him to see her that way.

His footsteps were quiet against the hardwood floor. Katara bit her lower lip, hoping he'd give in as he stopped in front of her. Warm, rough hands cupped the sides of her face. "If you stay too long, it'll be night."

She didn't waver. "I know...," she whispered as she closed her eyes and felt his lips against the side of her head.

"Do you still want to stay?" he asked. Katara leaned into him as his fingers stroked her flushed face.

"Yes..." His lips grazed the tip of her nose and his warm breath caressed her skin. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest.

"It'll be dark if you leave tonight," he rasped as his lips brushed against hers. His hands slid down the her sides, lingering briefly on her bare skin before encircling her in his arms. "I'll take you back-"

Her heart sank and her eyes opened. "Zuko-"

"Tomorrow." He drew his head back slightly and met her eyes. His voice was soft and warm. "Is tomorrow all right?"

Katara smiled as her eyes watered. She nodded her head and lifted her arms to circle around his neck. "Tomorrow," she agreed as she tilted her head up. "Will be fine."

* * *

"And to think, they actually returned!" Azula's irritated voice cut through the night air. On the riding lizard beside hers, Lu Ten let out heavy sigh and lifted one hand to rub his head. "I should have them fired and thrown in the dungeon for their idiocy!"

"Azula, why didn't you go with her?" Lu Ten asked. "Katara rarely comes here. What if she gets lost coming back?"

"Coming back?" Azula scoffed. "My dear cousin, need I remind you that it is a single road that leads back to the caldera?"

"Yes, a single road that goes through another town. It's dark and Katara may get confused," Lu Ten explained. "At any rate, I'm glad you told me you were coming."

"Well, I couldn't leave the poor peasant here," Azula told him proudly. "What kind of host would I be?"

"Did you come just for Katara?" Lu Ten prodded. Azula turned her head away. The future Fire Lord smiled to himself. "It's all right to admit that you missed him, you know." Azula refused to answer. "He missed you, too."

"I highly doubt that!" Azula retorted. She doubted it, but that didn't mean she didn't like the idea of it.

Lu Ten kept his eyes on the road ahead of them as they rode through the port town. "When I left the Earth Kingdom, he asked me to make sure you'd be fine without him. He had to leave so quickly that he didn't have a chance to say good-bye to you. It always bothered him."

"It should," she frowned.

"Azula," Lu Ten said as they reached the inn they had been told Zuko was staying at. "You only have one brother and this may be our only chance to convince him this is still his home. I know you don't want to lose him again."

Her hands tightened on the reins. "I can always find him through Katara," she asserted stubbornly. "Katara will tell me."

Lu Ten smiled as he stopped his lizard and dismounted. "How lucky you are, my little cousin," he chuckled. "That your brother is in love with your good friend."

Azula made a disgusted face as she easily slid off her saddle. She rolled her eyes as she passed her cousin their way into the inn. "She can do much better, if you ask me."

Lu Ten opened the door for her. "Yes, but think of it this way: if the feeling is mutual, which after watching her fret over his leave and subsequently go after him, is highly likely, you may make a sister out of your good friend."

Admittedly, that wasn't such a bad thought. As they reached the front counter of the inn, they rang a little bell and an old man looked out from behind a curtain to the side. Immediately, he let out as gasp and stumbled out, bowing profusely as he recognized the two royals.

"Your Highness, Prince Lu Ten and Her Grace, Princess Azula!" the old man. "Wel...welcome to my inn - Jing! Jing! Come out here! Their highnesses are here!" he called back in a frantic voice.

The curtain parted once more and an old woman nearly paled at the sight of them. She quickly scrambled to bow before him. "Your...your highness-"

Azula rolled her eyes, but before she could demand to know what room her brother was in, Lu Ten gave the old couple a respectful bow.

"Esteemed proprietor and proprietress, forgive our sudden intrusion," he began. "We are looking for our young um..friends," he said.

Azula glanced over at him and raised a brow. Friend?

"Friend, Your Highness?" the old man asked.

"This is taking too long," Azula grumbled. She squeeze beside her cousin and covered her left eye with her hand. "A man with a scar across his left eye is staying here. A young blue-eyed woman should've come seeking him earlier. What room are they in?"

Lu Ten let out an exasperated sigh. "Let us assure you are they are not in any trouble," he offered the old couple with a smile.

"On the third floor, your highness," the old woman said, still bowing. "The last door on your left."

"Thank you," Lu Ten smiled once more and looked over at Azula. He tilted his head towards the stairs and she nodded. "You didn't have to sound so demanding," he scolded lightly.

"We were wasting time," Azula snapped. "I just want to find Katara and return."

The crowned prince sighed tiredly once more. "Of course..." They reached the third floor and walked down the hall to the very last door on the left. Azula moved to knock and Lu Ten stepped in front of her. " _I'll_ do it," he said. Agni knew that she'd end up threatening to burn the door down if Zuko didn't open it. Lu Ten lifted his hand and knocked on the door.

After a few moments without an answer, Lu Ten knocked once more. Azula glanced at the bottom of the door and saw no light coming through the crack. "What if they're not there?" A small thud was heard on the other side and Lu Ten knocked again.

"No, someone is inside," he said in a low voice. He lifted his hand to knock one last time when the door opened just enough for them to see a quarter of a man's hastily half-dressed body.

Gold eyes went wide as Zuko felt all the blood drain from him. "Lu Ten...!?"

"Oh, good," Lu Ten smiled, relieved. "We caught you." He cocked his head to the side as his eyes went up and down, assessing his cousin's disheveled appearance. "Were you sleeping? It's not that late."

Zuko's pale face was turning red. The heated color trailed down his neck as he pushed the door closed a bit further. "Yes, I just woke up. Traveling is really tiring." He sounded nervous. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Why else would we come all this way, dum-dum?" Azula said as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared.

"We came to get you," Lu Ten told him firmly. "You are a prince and you will stay at the palace with us, as you are supposed to. Father and I have spoken to your father and he will not be repeating his earlier display. Reassured, you have a place at the palace."

Zuko wanted to slam the door shut and ignore the two outside, but it would only have the opposite desired effect. If it had been when he first arrived, as he had expected, he would've been able to handle it differently. However, this was the last thing he needed  _right now_. "Lu Ten-"

"I will not take no for an answer," his cousin asserted. "Now, put some proper clothes on and let's go. You can ride on my mongoose dragon with me."

Zuko opened his mouth to protest when Azula lowered her arms. "By the way, where is Katara?" The two men stiffened. Zuko fought the urge to look over his shoulder and back at the bed. Lu Ten suddenly felt that coming was a mistake. "She should be here."

Zuko tried to keep a straight face. "She's asleep," he replied, trying to sound as if it were normal. He mentally shook himself. What was he talking about? They had traveled so close together that it  _was_ normal for Katara to sleep with or around him. "She fell asleep not too long ago and-"

"Then what are you waiting for?" Azula frowned. She stepped in front of Lu Ten and pushed against the door. "Wake her up. She's coming, too."

Lu Ten took a step back as he put the pieces together. His half dressed cousin who seemed to have just gotten out of bed...a woman who had rushed out after him... _sleeping_. He knew where this was going.

"Azula, let them rest," he tried to calm his youngest cousin. "They both had a long day. Perhaps it would be best if they stayed the night."

An affronted look reached the princess' face. "Cousin, we have come all this way to get them and I will not leave in failure."

"Tomorrow, Azula," Zuko said, almost pleading. "We'll come back tomorrow."

"I've already had the servants ready your rooms," Azula snapped as she narrowed her eyes. "Katara!" she called into the room. "Wake up! We're going back!"

"Azula!" Zuko frowned. "Stop-"

"Azula!" Lu Ten tried to grab her arm and hold her back, but the Fire Nation princess shoved her way past her brother and into the dark room. She lifted her hand and immediately began bending a blue flame above her palm to illuminate the room.

As her eyes adjusted, a pair of wide, mortified eyes looked back at her from the bed.

Slowly, the evidence piled in Azula's mind. Katara was clutching a thin blanket across her bare chest as she sat up, her hair a tangled mess around her. Clothes were on the floor. The food was uneaten. The air in the room was  _heavy_.

Azula silently bent the blue flame away, casting the room in darkness once more, and turned around.

"I'll send a palanquin for you both tomorrow," she said, far too calmly for the situation. "Come, cousin, we should return to the palace quickly." She headed out the door without looking back. Her eyes narrowed as she stepped into the hall. "I need to wash this image from my mind...," she added in a low voice.

Lu Ten ran a hand down his face and looked back at Zuko. "Just come home tomorrow," he said tiredly before turning around and beginning to follow Azula. " _Both_  of you."

Zuko stepped out after him. "Lu Ten-"

"I won't tell Father!" the crowned prince waved one hand before turning the corner and going down the stairs. Zuko tilted his head back and let out the groan he had been holding in.

He stepped back into the room and closed the door behind him, leaning against it heavily as it clicked shut. Of all the times for his cousin and sister to appear...

Zuko looked back at the bed. Katara hadn't seemed to move. "Are you all right?"

"Tell me they were spirits."

He winced. "I'm afraid not."

Katara's horrified eyes slowly met his. "For once in my life," she said as she gripped the blanket. "I would've rather seen spirits."

* * *

Iroh lifted his morning cup of tea to his lips and inhaled the aroma. "I take it that they did not return last night?"

On either side of him, his niece and son didn't show the least bit of discomfort as they continued eating. They remained poised as their titles expected of them. "It was already late, Father, and they had a long day traveling," Lu Ten replied smoothly. "I told them to rest and return to the palace today."

"I've already sent a palanquin down to pick them up, Uncle," Azula added. "They should arrive soon."

"Ah...it is good that you sent a palanquin," Iroh agreed. "It will make the trip back easier for Katara. She is less likely to notice the spirits."

Lu Ten raised a brow and looked up from his bowl as Azula stopped.

"Spirits?" the princess asked. Iroh froze. He knew about Katara from Zuko's letters and from her grandfather, but he hadn't shared that knowledge with anyone else. It looked like neither Zuko nor Katara had told Lu Ten or Azula.

"The noble ladies in  _high spirits_  at Zuko's return," Iroh smiled. "I've heard much talk about young noblewomen interested in attending Lu Ten's coronation reception."

"I'm sure they're all there for Lu Ten and not Zuko," Azula huffed.

"Oh, I wouldn't put it past them to target either one of us," Lu Ten assured her. He lifted a hand and gently stroked the hair on his chin. "I am concerned, though. I'll be busy making my rounds during the reception, so I won't be bothered as much. Since Zuko is back, they're likely to flock to him. I was going to ask him to keep watch over you."

Azula narrowed her eyes. "And why would Zu-zu need to keep watch over me? I'm a far better bender than he is."

"Yes, but you're awkward around men," Lu Ten told her flatly. She shot him a glare. "And I'm always concerned that someone unsavory will steal away my beautiful little cousin," he added pointedly.

Azula rolled her eyes. "I do not need you to ward off potential suitors."

"You have potential suitors?" a voice said from the entrance. Several pairs of eyes turned to the doors as Katara walked in with Zuko behind her. "Why didn't you tell me?" She stopped at the end of the table and bowed. "Fire Lord, Your Highnesses, good morning."

"Ah! Good morning!" Iroh beamed as he and Lu Ten rose from their seats to greet them. "Have a seat! Have a seat! Did you already have breakfast?"

Katara shook her head. "We ate some more leftovers before we left, but it wasn't much."

"And it was cold," Zuko added. "Good morning, Uncle, Cousin, Azula." He bowed in each of their directions before following Katara.

"Has Aang awoken yet?" Katara asked as she took a seat beside Azula. The female firebender raised her hand to summon servants forward to serve their guest.

"He came to give his greetings earlier, but the Fire Sages have summoned him to get his blessing for the the coronation," Iroh explained.

Lu Ten perked. "Speaking of the coronation," he said, turning to Zuko who took a seat beside him and was waiting for a servant to finish putting food on plate. "I doubt that you've time to prepare the formal robes for the ceremony."

Zuko's brows knit together. Of course he'd need formal robes. Not just formal nice robes, but formal elaborate robes, which meant layers of red and gold embroidered fabric, as well a metal hair pin he hadn't brought with him when he was banished.

"I'm afraid I didn't," he said. "I can buy some in town-"

" _Buy some in town_?" Lu Ten looked horrified. "You are going to the royal tailor," he all but ordered. "Azula, take Katara to get formal robes for a guest, as well."

"I've already scheduled it," Azula replied.

Katara swallowed a piece of fruit and looked at her, confused. "Don't I already have something suitable to wear for the event? We were here at the last lantern festival; can't I wear my robes from that?"

"I'm afraid the coronation is a bit more formal," Iroh explained from the head of the table.

"Far more formal," Lu Ten added. "The ceremony itself will take all morning, then the celebration will likely last well into the night. I'll have to change my robes three times before the night is over."

"A century ago, he'd have to change his robes three times a day for a full lunar cycle," Zuko told her. "Be thankful it isn't that long any more."

"The royal family will also have to change robes," Iroh said. "In the morning, there are their ceremonial robes, then in the afternoon and evening, they will change into standard royal robes."

"My second robe change will be for the parade." Lu Ten took a seat across from them and Katara looked surprised.

"There'll be a parade?"

"Of course there'll be a parade," Azula and Lu Ten said at the same time. He laughed as Azula looked on with distaste. "There is a prayer, a dragon dance, a lion dance following the rear, a procession of royal guards who will reaffirm their vows to the royal family and to their new Fire Lord."

"The navy will also be shooting a hundred blanks to clear the air around the island of bad spirits," Iroh said. "It'll be loud, so don't be startled when you hear the blasting begin."

"Oh, and fireworks," Lu Ten said. "They'll cap off the night."

Katara nodded and brought some food to her mouth. So far, aside from the additional vows, prayers, and clothing changes, it didn't sound too different from other celebrations she'd attended in the past.

"By the end of the week, you'll be sick of them." Katara swallowed and looked up as Azula released a bored sigh.

"End of the week?" Katara looked from one royal to the next. "This will be repeated every day for a week?"

"No, no." Iroh shook his head. "That's so wasteful."

She relaxed and smiled.

"Only the prayers before dinner feasts, the canon shots, and the fireworks will happen. We only have the parade once." Lu Ten seemed pleased with this and Katara stared at him.

"What...so it'll be a week of feasts?"

"Yes, in the day time, I'll be receiving guests from all over the Fire Nation, various dignitaries, and other guests. So, I suppose, it'll only be our dinners that are feasts."

"But don't worry, Katara," Azula said, smirking at Katara's visible concern. "The formal clothing is only required for the first night of celebration. For nights after that, your regular ceremony clothes will suffice. I've already had them laid out for you in preparation."

Katara looked to Zuko, who sipped on his tea. "Did you know it was this long?" Did he think he was going to hide in that inn for an entire week? Zuko looked sheepish.

"Yes, but I don't know if Aang plans to stay for the whole time."

"Good morning!" A bright, cheerful voice filled the air as Aang walked in, looking a bit flushed and almost out of breath. His eyes lit up as he saw his two travel companions seated at the table. "You're back! I'm so glad. Now the Fire Sages can't make me...uh..."

His voice trailed off and Zuko cocked his head. "Make you what?"

Aang shuffled away from the entrance and look over his shoulders. "The Fire Sages want me to stay at the Fire Sanctuary for the week so I can oversee the prayers for the coronation." He looked spent and Katara realized he must've come running to avoid them. "But with you two here, I can't possibly leave my companions!"

"Oh, come now, Avatar," Azula said. "They're hardly just your companions here. Katara is my dear friend and Zuko is, of course, my dear brother. If anything, they are guests of the family."

"Can't you just tell the Fire Sages you wish to stay here? You  _are_  a guest of the state," Lu Ten said.

"I tried, but since I rarely come to the Fire Nation, they want to monopolize my time. I've barely had a chance to fill out my speech form."

Zuko ran his hand down his face as Lu Ten looked confused. "Speech form?"

"I mean, work on my speech for your coronation!" Aang let out a nervous laugh as he glanced at the entrance.

"I will speak to them, Avatar," Iroh said as he pushed his seat back and began to stand. Azula, Zuko, and Lu Ten all stood up at his action and Katara followed. "You youngsters enjoy the rest of you breakfast. I will see you at dinner."

They bowed to him as he passed and once he left the room, they returned to their seats. Aang hopped into an empty seat beside Zuko.

"I went by the rooms Azula said you were assigned this morning before I went to the Fire Temple," Aang said as he gave a thankful smile to a servant placing fruit on his plate. He picked up a grape, popped it into his mouth, and gave his friends a cheerful look. "Did you guys stay somewhere else last night?"

* * *

"You said you've been traveling with the Avatar for some time. Surely by now he knows of your... _relationship_  with my brother." Katara glared at the three paneled room divider between the pedestal she was standing on and Azula.

Since Zuko nearly choked on his porridge at Aang's question from that morning, Azula had been systematically prodding Katara on just how long her 'relationship' with Zuko had been going on. Katara's vague answers weren't pleasing the princess.

Aang's responses on how Zuko often slept with Katara - as in beside her - made the situation worse. Azula went from betrayed for not being informed, disgusted for it had to do with her brother, and generally annoyed. Lu Ten, future Fire Lord, went quiet, which made Katara wonder if he didn't approve.

He urged Azula and Katara out as soon as Katara was finished with breakfast because he 'wanted to catch up with his long gone cousin'. Katara saw a brief look of horror on Zuko's pale face as she was ushered out of the dining room by Azula.

Since then, the princess who seemed to always know what was going on wanted to know  _what was going on_.

"Do we have to talk about this  _now_?" There were three other women with them in the room filled with bolts of fabric. One was taking notes on a scroll, another was holding up samples of fabric against her, while the last was taking her measurements. While they all worked for Azula, they still had ears.

Katara hadn't really discussed things with Zuko; how could she talk of it in front of strangers and Azula? The night before, after being intruded upon by the princess, Zuko walked to their packed food and, as if unsure of what to do, asked if she wanted to eat.

They sat across the room from each other, she in her tunic and him only in pants, eating their cold leftover meals. Hardly romantic after what had happened that afternoon.

Their awkward silence was broken when she mentioned washing up for bed. They separated and went to the male and female baths on the bottom floor of the in respectively. Katara returned after him, having sat in the hot baths for as long as she could in hopes that Zuko would fall asleep before her.

When she got back to their room, she found him drinking some chilled tea, leaning out the window and watching the bay. A cool breeze cleared the air and from the doorway, she had admired how he looked in the moonlight, lost in thought. Same old pensive Zuko, she thought.

It hit her then that he really was the  _same_  old Zuko. Was it going to get awkward between them every time a new physical expression of affection happened? The first time they purposely kissed each other and acknowledged it, she avoided him for days afterwards. It wasn't fair to him and it was a ridiculous reaction.

He didn't need that from her now. She didn't want a repeat, either. She closed the door behind her and he glanced over his shoulder to welcome her back before looking back out.

She wrapped her arms around him from behind and pressed her face against his back. Zuko tensed for a brief moment before relaxing. He asked if she was ready to go to sleep and she nodded.

He woke her up that morning when he got up and had to disentangle himself from her, which ended with another few minutes of kissing him in bed and promises to repeat the previous night after breakfast. However, when they stepped out for breakfast, they found the palanquin waiting.

"We don't have to go, yet," Zuko said that morning. Katara rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure they expect us back soon."

"Not this soon." He looked so annoyed, Katara assured him that he was always welcomed in her room. However, he felt they had a lack of privacy at the palace. She couldn't disagree, but made him get on the palanquin anyway.

Now, hours later, they were split up. He was off with Lu Ten somewhere and she was holding her arms out as a tape measure went across her back. Not the intimate moment Zuko was probably thinking of that morning.

"Oh, they won't say a word," Azula said, sounding as if she were both promising Katara and threatening the tailor and her assistants. "Right?"

"Of course not, Your Highness," the oldest of the women said.

"You see, Katara? Silence." On her side of the divider, Katara rolled her eyes. "Now, how long has this been going on? Don't tell me it started before I last saw you."

"Several weeks ago, when I was at the Southern Air Temple. Zuko was there."

"So he made it all the way there, did he?"

"Yes, he's been of immense help. He's been a great addition to Aang's journey. Indispensable, if I had to describe it."

"There, all done." The tailor stepped back. "Your Highness, would you like to see the fabric selection for her robes?"

"That's not necessary." Azula folded back the divider as Katara stepped off the pedestal. "I've pre-approved the fabrics. I trust your eye, Madam Fung. I trust it will be ready by the coronation."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Excellent. Come, Katara. I'd like to hear more about my brother's adventures with you and the Avatar."

While she followed beside her royal friend, Katara inwardly frowned. "Shouldn't you ask Zuko about that?"

"Oh, I doubt he wants to talk much with me. What would we discuss? It's been so long."

"That's why you should talk to him." Katara urged her friend. "He never got the chance to say good-bye to you, Azula. I'm sure he has a lot of say."

Azula's gold eyes never looked away from where they were fixed in front of them. Her voice lowered. "The brother I know is not the same as the man you know."

"But he could be." Katara stepped in front of Azula. "It's been years. Don't you want to talk to your brother?"

Azula curled her lip. "You mean have frivolous conversations with him as you and your buffoon brother do?"

"I know you don't really think that of him, Azula-"

"The situation between me and my brother is a far cry from that of you and yours. For one, we were never close to begin with. I was away from home when he left-"

"Azula, you wouldn't have sent someone to follow him yesterday if you didn't care."

Azula's eyes turned back to Katara and fixed themselves onto hers. "I never said I didn't  _care_ about Zuko. He is my brother and though time and distance has made our connection strained, the fact that he is my blood has not and will not change."

Katara's warm hands grasped Azula's and squeezed them. Azula was used to her reactions by now and didn't tear her hands away. She gave Azula a soft smile. "He missed you, too."

She watched Azula's lips tighten into a tight line, as if unwilling to believe her statement. Azula drew her hands from Katara's and looked away.

"Well, of course he did," Azula said, as if it were obvious. Katara chuckled as Azula stepped around her and continued down the upper level walkway.

The architecture of that disconnected wing differed from a the more traditional designs elsewhere in the palace. The usual reds, oranges, and blacks didn't paint the walls and columns. The wood looked new and the glazed tiles on the room weren't as worn as the rest of the palace. She'd never been to that part before.

The natural wood style seemed more consistent with buildings Katara saw in newer parts of the Fire Nation, but thought that as part of the palace, it would've been painted to match the rest of it. All the buildings in the caldera had been painted over in similar style, so the city looked cohesive.

The garden in the courtyard below was well maintained with a modest fish pond and small pavillon, but the rooms they passed seemed mostly empty aside from a fabric storage area they were just in.

"I don't think I've been in this part of the palace before," Katara said, eyeing the exposed wooden beams above her.

"It was only recently prepared to house visitors for my cousin's coronation. Once it was rebuilt, it was unoccupied," Azula said, off handedly.

Katara nodded and looked over the side of the hall, at the porticos below. The guest must've started arriving as caught a woman in red robes walking into one of the rooms below.

"Is it okay for me to stay in the main palace? I know how proud some of your nobles are. If they're here and find out some peasant from the Water Tribe is staying in the main palace-"

"Katara, please. You're not just 'some peasant'." Azula lifted her hand and gave the thought a dismissive wave. "You're a representative of the Southern Water Tribe and part of the Avatar's party."

Katara snorted. "So you're going to tell them I'm a visiting dignitary?"

"You make it sound as if I'm lying." Azula sounded almost pained. She looked over her shoulder and smirked. "Perhaps you'd rather I tell them that you're Zuko's...?"

They turned to the stairs and Katara stopped. "Friend."

"'Friend'?" Azula's voice sounded almost amused as she walked down the steps.

"Friend." Katara repeated herself.

Azula stopped at the bottom of the steps and looked back up. "As much as I would prefer to boil last night's...unexpected...visit from my mind, I would like to confirm."

Katara tilted her head back and groaned before following Azula down the stairs. "Confirm what? What I feel for your brother?" It was kind of touching that Azula cared enough to want her brother to be loved, though somewhat surprising that she actually voiced it.

"No." Azula looked ahead of her as she continued to walk past the courtyard with swift, graceful steps, to the hall that led them back to the rest of the palace. "You made it quite clear yesterday afternoon, after Zu-Zu ran off, how  _you_  feel about him." Katara felt her face heating up. "What makes me curious is how exactly he feels about you."

If there was one thing about Azula that drove Katara insane, it was that the princess always seemed to know what to say to make Katara uncomfortable, though not necessarily in a malicious way. She knew that from Azula, it was a form of showing how comfortable she felt, though from an outsider's view, it could seem cruel.

That was simply how Azula was. However, Katara also knew her well enough to acknowledge that if Azula didn't think her question had a positive answer for Katara, she wouldn't have asked. In a way, it was comforting.

"Well, I guess there is only one way for you to find out." Katara stepped forward, deciding to play Azula's game once more. "Go and have a talk with your brother."

Azula's smug look quickly turned into a frown and Katara smiled even more. "Let's just go to my pavillon," she said, turning away and marching towards the exit. "Tea must be being served already."

Katara laughed and followed behind her. "Your pavilion is all the way across the palace. Are you sure you don't want to have it here? The garden isn't as nice, but-"

"No." Azula's voice was sharp. She stopped in front of her and Katara slowed to a stop. "Not here."

"What?"

"Not here," Azula said again. Katara turned around and looked back at the courtyard, past the hall they were walking into.

The entire time they were there, she and Azula were having their usual friendly banter and bickering. Katara was distracted. She was ushered into the room and the tailor and her assistants buzzed around her, making her stand and stretch to take her measurements while Azula went on about styles and jewelry to be borrowed, which Katara was trying to deny.

Now, something was different. Something was different inside the new court that made it stand out. Katara thought it was the lack of paint or the new tiles.

"Azula," Katara said in a low voice. "Why isn't that building painted like the rest of the palace?"

She noticed Azula's shoulders stiffen. "My father didn't want it painted." Katara narrowed her eyes.

"Why not?" Part of her already knew the answer.

"There was a fi-"

"Azula." A deep voice made Katara jump and look up the hall. Prince Ozai was walking towards them, a somber look on his face.

Katara forced herself to stand up straight and resist the look of anger upon seeing him after what transpired between him and Zuko the day before. Resentful questions and spiteful remarks filled her head as she gave the prince a customary bow.

"Father," Azula's voice was flat as she bowed her head. Katara clenched her mouth closed; afraid that if she opened them to say 'Your Highness', she would instead begin a tirade on how much of a terrible father he was.

"Your uncle caught me coming out of a meeting. He asked me to tell you to meet him in the western gardens for tea should I see you before you reach your pavilion or a servant finds you."

Katara kept her eyes lowered.

"Yes, Father," Azula said. Ozai gave her a stern nod of his head.

"Katara." She bowed her head once more to acknowledge him. "I see Azula took you to prepare for the coronation robes."

"I have, Father," Azula answered on her behalf and Katara thanked her in silence. "We came here to look at all the fabrics, as you said."

It was Ozai who told Azula to take her there?

"Good," Ozai said. "Enjoy your tea." He gave them one more nod and walked past them, turning down another corridor to another part of the palace without a single glance at the new building.

"He doesn't know about you going after Zuko," Azula said, once her father was out of hearing range. "Don't worry." The thought didn't cross her mind, but Katara was relieved none-the-less. "I know what he said yesterday disturbed you."

Katara clenched her hands at her side. "Zuko had his worries about his father and he was right. Does your father hate Zuko that much?"

Azula didn't answer immediately. She stood in place and seemed to think over her answer. "I can't answer that. Nevermind it." Azula continued to walk. "We should get to Uncle for tea."

Katara wanted to ask more questions and find out just how deep Ozai's resentment of his son went. Was he still the same who burned his son's eye years ago? However, it was clear that Azula didn't want to talk about it and Katara knew not to force her.

"How many guests have arrived so far?" she said, hoping to change the subject.

"A few nobles from the outer islands and some guests from the Earth Kingdom. The guest wings will be near full by the time of the coronation. Be lucky you have one of the better ones."

"You make it sound like there are actually rooms here that are less than comfortable."

"Well, when you're used to a certain level of luxury..." Azula's amused tone marked a release of tension from earlier.

"You're making me feel bad for the people who'll be stuck back there."

Azula snorted. "You can ask them when they arrive."

Katara felt a small chill run through her. " _When_? It's still empty?" That couldn't be right. She saw a woman. She  _knew_  she saw a woman.

"Well, the tailors are there."

Of course. Katara smiled. Her imagination and recent events were affecting her. The Fire Nation Royal Palace was ritualistically cleansed every new year. As old as it was, the air was clean for the most part.

"Yes, Madam Fung and her assistants."

"The three of them will be moving to a temporary work space tomorrow, though. To make way for guests."

"Three?" Katara remembered them clearly standing around her. "Are servants cleaning the rooms?"

"They've been prepared since last week."

Katara pursed her lips and felt warm as her thoughts returned to the courtyard they left. "Was there  _always_  a building there?"

"Yes," Azula said. They climbed up the stairs, to a the main palace. "The new building was built right over the old one."

"What happened to the old one?"

Azula stopped at the top of the stairs and looked down at Katara. She gave her a quizzical look. "You don't know? The fire," she said, as if it were an obvious answer. "The one years ago that took my mother."


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Two days passed and Azula kept her so busy, Katara didn't have time to return and try to 'see' Zuko's mother. Now that she knew where it happened, she just needed time alone to return. Zuko hadn't mentioned it in some time, let alone since they arrived, but she wanted to find out  _what_ happened.

Perhaps it was the scene her first day there that piqued her interest in the night of the fire and late Princess Ursa's death. Whatever happened that night changed the relationship between Zuko and Ozai, and Katara wanted to know what it was. What caused Ozai to hurt his son?

She knew that even if she made it back to the rebuilt wing, there was a chance she wouldn't even see anyone. Since the palace was cleansed through prayer every new year, she hadn't seen any wandering spirits her entire time in the palace grounds. At least, that's what she thought.

Judging from the reaction of people around her, people she saw and made contact with were human. It was so odd to her, that she had Azula take her out on a mongoose dragon. She saw a few spirits in town; none malicious. However, it meant she could still see the dead.

The only anomaly in the palace was the woman she saw walking into a room. Is was brief and she only saw the woman from the back, so she couldn't tell if it was Ursa, whose portrait still adorned a wall in one of the family galleries. Without seeing her face, the woman could've really been a servant preparing rooms.

Azula could've been the one who made a mistake. She couldn't know where every servant was any given moment of the day.

In addition, nothing really caught Katara's attention in the rebuilt building. The air wasn't heavy, but then again, neither was her grandfather's house in the North and there were three ghosts there. The inconsistency was frustrating, but it made sense. Not everyone died the exact same way, lingered for the same reason, or had the same level of emotion when they died.

She decided that afternoon that she needed to go back to the rebuilt wing that day. The coronation was tomorrow and after it, a week of celebration. Then she, Zuko, and Aang would leave. Katara wanted to go alone and she'd be trapped in the festivities if she didn't act soon. She grew anxious just thinking about it.

She wasn't sure what bothered her more: the heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach thinking about going without telling Zuko or Ozai's absence from meals, knowing he was purposely avoiding his son.

They bothered her for different reasons, but whatever they were, she didn't bring them up to Zuko or Aang, who had his hands full with the Fire Sages. Despite Ozai's obvious boycott of any meal or activity his son was part of, Zuko looked happier than she was certain he expected to be when they were sitting on a dock several nights earlier.

She wouldn't take that away from him.

Lu Ten seemed to almost force Zuko to accompany him everywhere, as if to show him off wherever he went. Azula mentioned with extreme distaste that ladies of the court were gossiping about his return and how exciting it all was. Much of the court's attention did seem to fall on Zuko and considering the circumstances, Katara understood.

Their interest in the returning Prince was made all the stronger with each day.

Iroh wished to see Zuko's firebending, and she and Aang, who was hiding from the Fire Sages, were able to watch Lu Ten, Azula, and Zuko all display their bending prowess to their Fire Lord in the main courtyard. Iroh said he was simply curious, but Katara understood what it was for.

It was a show of solidarity and strength to their guests. Lu Ten was leading and his cousins followed, but they were in harmony. Azula and Zuko knew their places and they were reflected in their bending. They were the future of the Fire Nation and it would be secure in their hands. Still, it was an amazing display to watch. While Zuko had the least formal instruction of the three, it was clear he was just as skilled as his cousin and sister, and Katara was proud.

She glanced over at Iroh once and saw him dabbing the edges of his sleeves to his eyes to wipe away the proud tears. Katara always held him in high regard, but knowing what he did for Zuko made her admire him more.

It was almost a shame that the next day, he would no longer be the Fire Lord.

Not that Lu Ten was a bad replacement. Katara watched as Lu Ten praised his cousins and embraced them. She could see Azula struggle to hold in her disgusted look; they were all glistening after their exhibition and both Lu Ten and Zuko had removed their vests. She didn't blame Azula for not wanting to be coated with their sweat.

Lu Ten addressed the watching court nobles, who were more in number than usual with the amount of guests that arrived, and thanked them for taking time to see them.

"I hope I have proven some of my skill to you," he said in a regal voice that seemed almost laughable to someone who knew him personally. Katara chuckled as noblewomen seemed to push their daughters forward and noblemen called for his attention. They didn't escape Lu Ten. "My cousin, too, has shown great ability!"

"...And he threw Zuko into the fire," Aang said, echoing Katara's thoughts as she watched their travel companion flush and try escape Lu Ten's grasp. Aang shook his head as he sat beside her. From where they were seated, they could see Zuko's tense shoulders and barely restrained looks for a way to escape.

"My my...he is just as popular as I thought he would be," Iroh said with a chuckle.

"You must be proud," Katara laughed.

"Very much so," Iroh said. "I better summon them for tea before the nobles eat them alive. Will you two be joining us?"

Aang opened his mouth and looked ready to accept the invitation, but his face fell. "I better not. If the Fire Sages see me, I'll never finish my speech."

"Aang," Katara sighed. "The coronation is tomorrow."

"I know, but I want it to be perfect," Aang said, rising to his feet. "Not only is he going to be the Fire Lord, he's almost my friend's cousin. I want it to really make an impact." He picked up his staff and gave Iroh a bow. "Fire Lord, it has been an honor. If you will excuse me..."

"The honor is all mine, Avatar," Iroh replied in kind. He bowed his head and Aang stepped back and seemed to disappear into the hallway just as an priest from the Fire Temple rushed past, asking guards if they saw him. Thankfully, the guards gave vague answers. "Katara, my dear. You will join us?" Iroh asked.

It was an opportunity to go back to the rebuilt wing without Azula or Zuko. Katara smiled and lifted her hand to her mouth, yawning just a bit.

"I'm actually quite tired, Fire Lord. I think I'll go rest for a bit." Had it been a Tribal Elder in the North or the Earth King, she wouldn't have been so informal, but Iroh seemed to encourage informality in private. He told her to go and rest, mentioning that the climate was always an adjustment for visitors.

Katara saw her chance. She made her way back to the rebuilt wing hoping Zuko and Azula didn't catch a glimpse of her leaving.

She had to act quickly; one of the siblings was sure to ask about her.

Katara quickened her pace and as she turned into a hall, she realized she had only been there once and she had followed Azula. She squinted and glanced around, trying to familiarize herself with the hall. She didn't recognize it. She prepared herself to ask guards for directions, but despite her uncertainty, she kept walking. A small part of her told her to keep going. She'd ask if she was lost, though the guards that were posted in the halls became more and more sparse as she left the main palace.

The last guard was around the corner when she found herself standing before the entrance of an unpainted palace wing.

She was in a massive complex of buildings and she hadn't taken one wrong turn or gone down one wrong hall. She could feel her heart quickening and her palms begin to sweat.

It was like the building called to her and in its silence, her body responded.

She swallowed and looked through the open gates and into the courtyard garden beyond them. The doors she could see were all closed and she couldn't hear anything save the wind through the trees and the gurgling water running into the pond.

 _Walk, Katara,_  she ordered herself. There was no point in standing there, staring inside. Her feet began to move and she braced herself.

No one was inside. She stood in the lower portico, just beside the entrance, looking around at the doors that led to guest rooms.

"Madam Fung?" Her voice sounded much louder than she expected, echoing off the vacant walls. Katara cringed as she looked up, towards the tailor's room and listened for reply. There was no answer and she called out again.

Still nothing.

Perhaps Madam Fung and her assistants already left. But what about the guests? The coronation was the next day; guest should've been there...unless they were out watching Zuko and the others in the main courtyard. She knew enough about nobles to know that was the place to be at that time.

Katara walked the perimeter of the garden. Checking every room wouldn't be acceptable if there were guests staying there. She frowned. She should've returned the day she got her measurements taken to avoid guests.

Taking a deep breath, Katara stepped out into the courtyard and walked towards the pond. By now, she would've seen someone. She didn't expect to feel a presence, as often times, her attention was drawn by the sight of a spirit first.

The palace  _was_  purified by the Fire Sages every year, she reminded herself. Perhaps there was no spirit to see and that woman in red really was a servant.

Katara released a heavy breath and knelt down by the edge of the pond. She raised her hand over the water and moved it back and forth, gently causing ripples across the surface. The calm motions relaxed her as she tried to gather her thoughts.

Should she tell Zuko? She should tell Zuko.

"He'll be disappointed," she said. She lifted her hand and the ripples slowed. Her reflection became clear and as the water stilled, her eyes drifted to another set of eyes reflected across from her. The same color as Zuko's and Azula's, but filled with so much sadness. Beside it rose an arm draped in singed red cloth pointing, behind her.

She jerked her head up and inhaled sharply. No one was in front of her and she shot up, turning around. No one was behind her either.

"Hello? Anyone there?" There was no answer. Katara narrowed her eyes and turned around again. She was certain she saw a reflection and looked back down at the water, only to see herself and a few small fish swimming beneath the surface.

She turned around and found herself staring at a closed, wooden door. She felt her heart quicken. That was the door she saw the woman walk into a few days earlier. She was supposed to go into that room, wasn't she?

Would she see Princess Ursa there? Like the ghosts at her grandfather's house?

Or would it be more intense, like the forest in the Earth Kingdom?

She took a step forward, towards the door and to its right, the woman in red appeared once more, waiting with one arm across her stomach and the other pointed at the door. Katara was drawn to the woman's face and felt her body grow cold.

Azula looked more like her mother...and she could see Zuko's face in the woman's too. Katara recognized Princess Ursa at once.

Katara didn't stop despite all the questions she wanted answered: who started the fire? Why was Ursa there? Why did Ozai despite his son so? Who kille her?

As she took a step from the garden onto the walkway, another question appeared. If ghosts remained bound to the world of the living because of strong emotions, what bound Ursa?

Katara felt another chill go through her as she stopped beside the waiting ghost and reached out to the brass door handle.

"Katara?" Her heart nearly leapt out of her as the silence that surrounded her was broken. She turned around at the sound of her name, noticing the empty space beside her as she did so. Across the garden courtyard, standing at the entrance, was a pale-faced Zuko wearing a worried look on his face. "What are you doing here?"

"I..." She had to tell him now. "I was just looking around..." She turned around to motion towards the door and felt her heart drop. There was no door. She was standing in front of a wall; one she was sure wasn't there a moment ago. Katara stepped back and looked around the hall. No door. No Ursa. "There was a door here..."

"Katara?" Zuko seemed to hesitate entering, but when she remained where she was, running her hands over the wall half expecting a door to reappear, he crossed the garden between them. "Katara, are you all right?"

He placed a hand on her shoulder and she jumped. She gasped and turned around, drawing her arms against her chest as she looked from him to the wall and back.

"I saw a door here." Did she make a mistake? Zuko looked over the top of her head and looked confused.

"There isn't a door there, Katara."

"But I saw one. She was pointing at it and I turned around-"

"Katara, wait.  _Who_  was pointing at it?" Zuko's hands were on her shoulders, trying to steady her as he met her gaze. Suddenly, she didn't want to tell him. He looked both demanding and afraid, and Katara wasn't sure how he would take it. She looked away and almost missed the look of hurt on his face. "Katara...don't force yourself."

"What?" She lifted her head as she felt his hands slide down her arms and grasp her hands. He lifted them up to his lips and kissed her knuckles, his worried expression still on his face.

"It's okay," he said as she looked up at him. "I know what I asked of you back in the Southern Air Temple and it's okay." She wasn't sure what he was saying.

"What's okay?"

"Azula told you, didn't she? About what happened where this building was built? That's why you're here, isn't it?"

Katara felt her eyes begin to water and Zuko moved his arms around her and pulled her against him. "I want to find out what happened."

"I know. I do, too." He tucked her head under his chin and pressed his lips against the side of her head. "But I don't want you have to see what she saw. The last thing I remember of her, she was in pain and crying out. I don't want you to see that. I don't want you to  _feel_  it."

"Zuko-"

"That's why I haven't said anything about it since we arrived. Ba Sing Se, the Northern Tribe, even back in that forest; they possessed you to show you what they saw last and every time..." His voice trailed off and she felt his embrace tightened. "I don't want you to have to go through what my mother did."

He understood. In the Southern Air Temple, he didn't get it and now that he did, he was pleading with her not to. She closed her eyes and buried her face against his shoulder. For years, Zuko lived with a mystery that haunted him and now that he had a chance of finding out who killed his beloved mother...he refused.

Zuko choose her over a lifetime of pain. Katara hands curled into the back of his shirt, wanting to be as close to him as possible to sooth the ache in her chest. It was unfortunate for him that she choose him for her own suffering.

"Let's go," she said after a few moments. She didn't want him to linger there any longer, knowing what transpired. She wiped her eyes and took a step back, giving him a small smile. "Aren't you supposed to be at tea with your uncle? He'll be worried."

"We're just be a little late. I saw you walking down the hall and was coming to get you."

"I told him I was going to take a nap," she said as she took his hand led him across the garden. "So I'd miss tea."

"Then, we'll see him at the reception dinner later tonight," Zuko said. Katara tilted her head to the side as he walked beside her. He smiled slightly. "I can go for a nap, too."

Katara chuckled. As they reached the entrance to the building, Katara's smile faded and she stopped. Zuko stopped a step ahead of her and gave her a questioning look.

"Are you sure it's okay?" Katara asked, as firm as she could. Zuko took a deep breath and nodded.

"I want to know what happened. Who did this to her..., but I won't risk you to do so." He looked back into the open courtyard and look a moment to look around the structure. "It's my first time here since I left. My room used to be over there before the fire. We moved across the palace after...I didn't think I'd be able to walk in here so easily again."

Katara lifted her free hand and cupped the side of his face. "Let's go get some rest before the reception dinner," she said. He looked back at her and kissed her palm before she withdrew her hand. He took a step forward and Katara looked over her shoulder.

A woman stood across the courtyard, her arms in front of her dark red, singed dress. Katara gave her a small bow of her head without Zuko seeing.

She would be be back.

* * *

"I've lost him." Katara craned her neck, looking for any sign of Zuko. She could've sworn she saw him when she arrived. He had caught her eye and and smiled, raising a hand to greet her. However, before he could make his way over to where she was descending into the lantern illuminated outdoor courtyard filled with guests, nobles, and the royal family, he was overtaken by wealthy looking visitors.

Aang jumped, propelling himself higher with a small bend of air, scanned the crowds. "I see him!" He landed beside Katara. "He's cornered by some rich looking old ladies."

"Noblewomen?"

"Looks like it." Aang scratched the back of his head. "Should I get him?"

"No, no, it's fine. You're here on Avatar duty. Go out there and see how everyone's doing."

Aang narrowed his eyes, focused on a long row of tables across from. "I will, but first, some fruit pies!" He rubbed his hands together with glee before bouncing off the last step. "If he's in trouble, just whistle!"

"Don't over do it with the pies and tarts, Aang!" Katara called after him. "You have a big day tomorrow!"

She barely heard his reply over the sound of music that hovered over the crowd. Katara hoped he wouldn't over eat. The assortment of food prepared was impressive and while Aang was limited to his vegetarian options, there were plenty to pick from. The last thing they needed at Lu Ten's coronation was a sick Avatar.

Katara adjusted the thin wrap around her shoulders as she began to walk around. For a simple reception dinner to welcome the guests before the coronation, many of them were dressed to impress. Headdresses floated above the crowds as metal and be jeweled pins shone in the lantern light.

She felt under dressed in her cloths and they were a slightly more elaborate version of her everyday wear. She caught sight of Azula speaking to some young noblewomen and Katara smiled with relief to see that Azula wasn't as formally dressed as their guests.

Zuko wasn't either. He left her quarters after their nap to be dressed for the reception. Still, his simple clothes didn't help him blend in. He must've been accosted upon sight.

"He was waiting for you in the halls, but was sighted," a calm voice said behind her. Katara turned around and smiled before bowing.

"Good evening, Fire Lord."

"Ah...soon that title will belong to my son," Iroh said with a chuckle.

"You don't get to keep the title even when you pass the throne?" Katara asked, straightening up.

"I will keep the title of 'lord'," Iroh said. "Have you eaten yet? You missed this this afternoon, though if you ask me, it got a bit crowded."

Katara felt her smile widen. "Uninvited guests?"

"I wouldn't say uninvited...perhaps, previously unaccounted for." Katara laughed and Iroh placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "This reception is for you, too, as our guest. Please help yourself to the food. When I see Zuko, I will send him to you."

"Oh, thank you...and you don't have to. I'm sure there are a lot of people who want to talk to him and-"

"Katara," Iroh said as he took a step around her. "There may be many who wish to speak to him, but you are the only one he wishes to speak to." Her cheeks heated up and Iroh looked pleased. "Please do not hesitate to stay at his side. Somewhere in this crowd is his father and you know how he is."

Katara bowed her head, accepting her little mission. Iroh melted back into the crowds, smiling and greeting whoever he ran into. Katara looked around, hoping to find Zuko once more. She caught sight of him being led away from a crowd of nobles by a chatty Lu Ten. She'd seen the future Fire Lord in action before. He'd talk and talk to avoid letting anyone else get in a word edgewise so he couldn't be stopped.

Zuko looked relieved as soon as he was free. Lu Ten leaned closer to his cousin and motioned in her direction. Zuko followed and he smiled upon meeting her eyes. Her heart quickened again and she tried to dismiss it. He looked handsome and very prince-like in the atmosphere of the court, but really, that should've have fazed her.

Just before the reception began, she was laying right beside him in bed, snoring the afternoon away. There was really no reason to become giddy when they were parted for such a short amount of time, yet she was.

She lifted a hand to greet him as he squeezed past guests, looking only at her. He was probably trying to avoid eye contact and being dragged into another conversation. As he reached her, she gave him a small bow of her head.

"You look popular." She grinned and he gave her a tired look.

"It just started and already I can't wait for this night to be over." Zuko looked over his shoulder, as if expecting someone to lunge at him. "I hope it's not like this the entire time."

"Why don't we get something to eat and look occupied?" Katara said stepping beside him and reaching for his hand. "We don't have to stay the whole time. If it gets to be too much-"

"Zu-zu!" Azula appeared before them and Katara quickly drew back her hand. The princess glared at her brother as she marched towards him. "What are you doing? You haven't greeted the guests from the western islands yet!"

"I haven't eaten either-"

"Eating can wait. Katara, my apologies, but I need to take him for you for a bit." Azula's hand was already clamped around her brother's wrist and dragging him away.

"We can eat later!" Katara tried to assure him, but as she saw Azula and Zuko mobbed by guests eager to welcome back the prince, she realized she just lost him for the rest of the night.

Sighing, she turned her attention to tables of food. She saw and greeted a few people she knew. Several asked how her parents and grandparents were doing. Everyone there was preoccupied with someone else.

In the back of her mind, she knew now was a good time to return to the rebuilt building. All the guests were at the reception and would be so for some time.

Iroh and Lu Ten had yet to give their speeches and even if she left while they started, that would still buy her a good amount of time.

She ate the rest of her fruit tart and looked around for Zuko. When she saw him focused elsewhere, she made her way towards the edge of the crowd, eyeing the stairs that led to the hall. She made it up and turned the corner without anyone noticing.

"Katara, are you going back now?" She whirled around and saw Aang heading towards her. He motioned one hand behind him, towards the reception area. "The speeches haven't been made yet."

"I'm just going to walk around and get some fresh air. With all these people here, it's getting stuffy even outdoors."

Aang seemed to study her a bit longer, as if assessing her answer. He took a deep breath. "Do you want me to come?" he asked. "Just in case?"

He knew.

Katara lowered her shoulders and bit her lips. She looked past him, towards the crowds and Zuko somewhere among them. "No, I'll be fine."

Aang frowned. "Katara, he told me that he didn't want you to force yourself."

"I'm not forcing myself-"

"Then did you tell him you're going?" Her mouth snapped closed and Aang let out an exasperated breath. "What if something happens?"

"Nothing is going to happen," Katara said. "I was there this afternoon and it was fine. No malicious energy or violent spirits. I've approached ghosts before with little problem, Aang. I can do this."

"I'm not saying you don't have the ability to, Katara. You've progressed very well these last few months, but if we've learned anything, it's that there is no guarantee you'll come out unscathed," Aang said. "You should tell Zuko and one of us should come with you. What if you pass out again?"

That was a possibility she didn't want to admit. She looked down the hall and then back at Aang, her mind racing to find an excuse. It wouldn't hurt if Aang or Zuko were with her, but when Zuko arrived that afternoon, it was as if her concentration broke and the door disappeared.

In fact, Ursa seemed to have vanished from her side the moment Zuko made himself known. It wasn't until they were leaving and his back was turned that her apparition reappeared. Katara's eyes widened.

"She disappeared when Zuko found me."

"What?"

"This afternoon," Katara said. "When I was there, I saw her. I was going through this door, but Zuko showed up and when realized he was there, the door was gone and so was she. Aang, I may need to do this by myself."

He lifted his hand to his chin. "There is always a chance a spirit has their secrets... All we know of the fire that it started in that room and that a lantern was knocked off. At least, that's what the official reports say."

"Zuko said that his room was nearby before the fire and that they moved. That means that the area where his family was in next to that building. What was she doing there that late at night?" Katara felt her stomach turn. Suddenly, she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

Aang seemed to mull over the situation. "Katara, are you sure you want to do this?"

Did she want those answers? Her hands clenched at her sides. "Yes."

The Avatar kept his eyes on her and tightened his jaw. "Lu Ten's going to make his speech soon. If you're not back by the end of it, I'm getting Zuko and we're going to get you."

Katara lowered her head and bowed, clasping her hands together. "Thank you." She turned around, leaving Aang behind as she quickened her speed.

Just like earlier that day, Katara found herself moving through the halls without really knowing where she was going. All she knew was that she was going in the right direction and didn't question the force guiding her.

When she emerged from the hall and saw the darkened, rebuilt building looming in front of her, she took a deep breath. A few iron lanterns affixed to the walls to give the courtyard and porticos within light, but even with them, it would be difficult to see.

Katara stopped before the entrance and lifted her head. She took another deep breath to calm herself before walking in.

"You returned."

"Ah!" She let out a cry and threw her arms out beside her. A lantern hanging at the end of a crooked stick hovered to left, just an arm's length from a pale, shadowed figure looking cross. He didn't react even as water she pulled from the pond stopped just beside his head.

Katara eased her arms down as she recognized the man.

"Prince Ozai." Her hands were shaking as she bent the water, and the fish still swimming in it, back into the pond. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you to return," he said. He sounded displeased and Katara resisted the urge to shrink back. "You came here this afternoon."

She didn't move from her place. Katara was sure Ozai wouldn't hurt her, but she felt wary and tense in front of him none-the-less. "I did, Your Highness. My robes-"

"Azula said your robes were finished yesterday," Ozai said in an annoyed voice. "Why were you here?"

Katara frowned. "I was not prohibited from coming here-"

"I found the letters from Zuko to his uncle. These last few months, he's written much about you," he said. "Is it true you can see the dead?"

It was like someone pushed the air out of her lungs all at once. So that was why Ozai was there. Katara felt a small surge of anger. Did he mean to stop her? Perhaps he didn't want her to find out the reason Ursa died.

Her fingers twitched and the water in the pond stirred.

"I've been able to see them since I was a baby," Katara said. "Only recently has the seal that kept that sense blocked faded."

"And now?"

"Now, I see the dead." Katara took a step back and raised her arms. "If you're here, you know why I'm here, too. Don't try to stop me."

In the dim lantern light, she could've sworn she saw Ozai's face look taken aback. His hand tightened around the lantern pole.

"I'm not going to stop you, Katara," he said. She narrowed her eyes, hesitant to believe him. Ozai looked across the courtyard. "I saw you this afternoon. Did you see her then?"

"What do you care?" Her voice was sharp. "You were there at night, weren't you? You're the one who told Zuko his mother died."

His jaw clenched, but Ozai didn't look away from the courtyard. "Do you think I killed her?" he asked. The thought crossed her mind, but she couldn't answer. Ozai glanced over at her. "You think I did."

"I didn't say that-"

"Your silence says you do." Katara opened her mouth to argue, but Ozai continued. "You blame me for what I did to Zuko and that, I'm guilty of. I'm fully aware of what I did to my own son. I could tell you it was an accident, but that doesn't lessen the severity. That scar across his eye that nearly blinded him is a reminder of what I lost. When he accused me of taking Ursa's life, I couldn't control myself."

"He was your  _son_." Katara scowled. "How could you do that to your own son?"

"How could he accuse me of killing my own wife?" Ozai's voice filled the courtyard and Katara took a step back, surprised at the anger and volume of his voice. He turned to look at her, a furious look on his reddening face. "No one mourned her death more than I! My children lost their mother, but I lost the only being who gave me a reason to live. Do you understand? I was raised in the shadow of my brother. My father saw me as a back up to Iroh. He thought me incompetent and had to arrange a marriage for me.

"The second prince, unable to even find himself a bride, needed his father's assistance in procuring one. Ursa was this kind, beautiful woman who left her island, her family, and even a man she was in love with to marry me. She should've resented me...hated me...but Ursa, my wonderful Ursa..." Pain laced his softening voice as the furious look on his face turned despondent. Katara could see his eyes dampening in the lantern light.

It was the first time she'd seen him in such a state and it was uncomfortable to see a man she saw as formidable and angry appear so pained and broken. She didn't know what to say.

As she searched for some words of comfort, she caught the singed, red sleeves once more. Katara's eyes grew large as she watched the shorter, barely visible ghost of a woman stand behind Ozai and move her arms around his body. The ghost closed her eyes and turned her lips downward in a forlorn expression as she placed her head against Ozai's back.

It made no sense to Katara why the dead would try to comfort their killer as she was. Katara whispered, unsure if she was addressing Ozai or Ursa.

"What happened that night?"

A pair of gold eyes flashed open and met hers. The singed, red sleeve rose once more. Katara followed a slender, pale hand as it pointed across the garden, back to a painted red door that should've been out of place.

Katara stepped down into the garden, looking straight ahead. The closer she got to the door, the redder the wall around it became, as if it were being flushed with color with each step. Square windows seemed to hang on either side of the door and through the thin curtains, she could see a faint light from within.

She lifted her hand to grasp the door handle. Her chest tightened as she inhaled. That wasn't her hand. She wasn't that pale, nor were her fingernails so long. She wasn't wearing long robes that hung at her wrist, either.

Katara couldn't control her hand. Without any effort from her, it extended and she watched as she grasped the handle and pushed the door open.

"You came." A man's voice was both relieved and joyful as she walked through the door. The room, she noted, matched the interior of the rest of the palace, though a bit aged. There was a old, canopied bed across the room with none of the royal red silk sheets; only a bare wooden bed box. Several other pieces of wooden furniture were left bare and pushed up in the center of the room.

Iroh was going to have the furniture there replaced once the repairs were done, she remembered. The roof was in dire need of repair and royal architects noticed splits in some of the main wooden beams. The entire building was condemned and she knew she wasn't supposed to go inside, but it was the only place she could think of where they could truly be alone.

The man waiting for her was dressed in dark clothes and had long hair tied up in a pony tail. He was a bit more stout than she remembered, even if he was still good looking. His features were fine for the theater, but weren't as sharp and commanding as Ozai's.

Her heart twisted in her chest. Ozai didn't know she was coming that night and she hoped to clear this up before he could ever find out. Her husband and father of his children would be devastated if he found out she went to see her former love in secret. Yet, if she told him, Ozai would have forbidden it, as well as suffered.

"Where are your things?" Ikem asked, looking at her earnest. "I know my letter said we can't carry much, but you didn't have to leave empty handed."

She would hurt him for a second time. "I didn't come to leave," she said. "It's been years, Ikem. I have a family here. My son and daughter...I can't leave them."

He looked confused. "Well...I see, I know that. Did you want to bring them?"

And take them from their father and family there? Her children were royal. If Azulon found out, he'd see it as an affront to him. Ozai would be held responsible for letting her take them and the entire Fire Nation would be searched. The scandal would rock the country and her family would suffer. She couldn't allow that.

"No. They won't be coming. And neither will I."

"What?" He looked unsure and threw his arms out around him. "Ursa, what's wrong with you? What do you mean you're not coming?"

"I can't leave my children, Ikem. They need me. I would be selfish of me to leave them behind."

"Then we'll come back for them! Ursa, you can't stay here! This isn't your home. Come back to Ember Island. Come back with  _me_!"

"I made the decision to come here, Ikem. I gave my vows. Even if I wished to return, however much I have wanted it in the past, I can't go back on them. I can't leave Zuko and Azula." The thought of separating from her children hurt and she tried to push back the pain. "And Ozai...Ozai-"

"Don't mention that man's name after what he's done!"

"It wasn't his fault! It was his father who came-"

"But he didn't stop him!"

"He's still my husband!"

"Don't call him that!" Ikem knocked over small table that was piled in the center of the room. It tumbled to the ground and Ursa jumped. "You would rather stay with that unfeeling puppet of a prince? I spent years working for a chance to gain access to the palace and see you again and save you from this life and now you're telling me you won't leave?"

"I know I hurt you when I left, Ikem, but I did not ask for you to come after me. I made the decision to leave for the sake of the island. Azulon offered the island assistance we desperately needed after the last hurricane. We needed his favor!"

"He bought you!" His words cut her and she drew back. "You were a bride he purchased for his son! Nothing more! There was no love between you and that prince! What we had..."

Ursa shook her head. "What we had was love, but that was years ago. I still care for you, Ikem. You will always be my friend, however-"

She watched his face drain of color. "However, what?" he asked in a strained voice. "Does your heart belong to him now? Has he bought your heart, too?" His venomous words stung.

Ozai didn't buy her love. He was a stoic man overshadowed by his brother. Iroh's affection seemed to only hurt Ozai more. Her first attempts to show Ozai affection resulted in confusion and indifference. It took months for him to respond to an embrace or a kiss with equal fervor. He was awkward, but he was kind to her.

By the time Zuko was born, she realized she loved Ozai. Not with the same hot passion she once felt in her youth with Ikem, but a calm, warm affection of two adults comfortable with each other. She cherished his free afternoons, where he'd join her in her garden that he had made just for her. They would sit beneath the tree and relish their moment of calm together.

The thought of leaving those moments behind made her chest ache and more than ever, she was determined to stay.

"I'm sorry," she said in as firm a voice as she could make. "But I will not leave with you."

"Ursa-"

"I've given you my answer!"

Rage filled Ikem's face and for a moment, Ursa was afraid. She stepped back as Ikem turned around and grabbed the pile of furniture in the center of the room. He shoved them to the ground, knocking over the lantern that he had placed on top of a chair.

She let out a gasp and darted forward to grab the lantern before it caught on any of the dry wood. Before she could get to it, strong hands gripped her wrists and pulled her towards Ikem. She was yelling, he was yelling.

"I'm not going! Leave!"

"Listen to yourself! They've brainwashed you!" He was shaking her and she stumbled. Something hit the back of her leg and she fell back against the bed. She saw fire from the corner of her eye and she opened her mouth to scream.

Her head hit the wooden mattress board and it went black.

Smoke was the first thing she smelled as she regained consciousness. Her head felt heavy and her nose began to burn. As her eyes opened, she saw Ikem shaking his head and trying to stomp out the fire in vain. "Ikem?"

"It was an accident!" He coughed, lifting his arms over his face. The fire was forcing him away. Like her, Ikem wasn't a bender. He had no control over what was happening.

"Ikem." Ursa tried to move and felt a sharp pain in her leg. Her eyes shot down and she found her left leg in an awkward position, pinned between parts of the bed that broke when she landed on it. "Ikem, help me-"

She wasn't even sure if he could hear her over his coughing and ramblings of accidents and apologies. She tried to call him once more, but he was stumbling out of the room. He slammed the door and Ursa almost couldn't believe it. Had he lost his mind?

Gritting her teeth, she tried to push herself up.

"Mom!" Someone was pounding on the door. "Mom, is that you?"

No...no...he wasn't supposed to be there. He should've been in his room, safe.

"Zuko?"

"Mom!" He was trying to get in, but the door wasn't moving. Did Ikem lock her in? Zuko's small voice was frantic and heavy thuds sounded against the door. Suddenly, he began screaming for the guards. The fire must've become visible outside.

"Zuko, get away from here!" she cried out as she grabbed on to the wooden bed post and tried to pull herself up. Her eyes were watery and the smoke was burning her sense of smell.

"Mom!"

"Get your father!" She looked up and felt her heart stop as one of the overhead beams snapped. She gripped the bedpost to try to pull herself away, but the beam crashed through the old canopy frame and over her legs. She screamed as the bed collapsed and she fell to the ground.

"Mom!" The door crashed to the ground, pushed from its frame as a little boy's body landed on top of it.

"Zuko!" For a moment, she forgot about the pain in her torso and legs or the smoke in her lungs. She reached for her child as he tried to push himself up, stunned, off the floor. "Zuko, get up! Get up!"

Her arms were waving him away, trying to urge him to get out of the room before the fire consumed him with it. His cries fell in her deaf ears as she told him to run. He had to leave; he had to survive. The gods could take her a thousand times over as long as they spared her son.

Something hit her head and she looked up. The ceiling was coming down. Her eyes widened; it would come down on Zuko.

A blast of fire seemed to shield the boy from the falling wood and tile as someone appeared, shouting for Zuko to stay under him.

Her husband never looked more gallant to her in the fire and moonlight streaming from the collapsed roof. Still dressed in his sleep wear with his robe open, Ozai swept into the room, frantic. He grabbed Zuko and pulled him under one arm while the other shot fire at the debris.

She heard Ozai order the waterbenders visiting to be woken and for someone to take Zuko outside.

"Ursa!" He was coming back for her and she felt happy. This was the man she fell in love with and she wished she could stay longer to tell him.

"Is he safe?" It hurt to talk, but at least she couldn't feel the pain in her legs any more.

"Don't move-"

"It's too late for me, my legs-" He tried to hush her and have her conserve her energy. Ozai gripped the beam that went across her body.

"Ozai-" The beam creaked as he lifted it and pushed it off. She closed her eyes and bit her lips. It was too late.

"Oh my go-"

She grabbed his hand as he dropped the beam. His eyes were fixed her crushed hips. Her legs seemed almost stretched from her torso, ready to be ripped out at any moment. Her burnt red robes were stained nearly black with blood.

"Ozai...Ozai, I wanted to stay," she said. If he found out what happened, she wanted him to know; to give him peace of mind that she did choose him. "Ozai, I was going to stay-"

"Your Highness!" Guards were coming in and reaching for him. Ursa met his eyes as she released his hand. She smiled, softly as her hand fell beside her, silent tears sliding down the corners of her eyes. "Your Highness, come!" They grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him away from her.

"Princess Ursa!" So they saw her wounds. It must've been clear that she couldn't be saved.

"No." Ozai fought against them, refusing to be torn away as tears filled his eyes. His hand brushed her hair and she felt her metal hair pin slip out. "No! No, Ursa, don't leave me! Release me! Let me go to her!"

She willed herself to watch as he was dragged out the door, crying out her name as the fire ripped through the walls. At least she knew he was safe now, too.

Ten years earlier, she had to leave when she wanted to stay. Now, she was forced to do the opposite. This time, she wanted to stay. It was unfair.

She wanted to  _stay_.

* * *

"Give her air, everyone! Please stand back!" Aang sounded worried.

"You heard him. Stand aside, everyone." Azula was using her authority to command order.

"Katara?" There it was. A warm hand was wiping at her cheeks. She was crying again. "Azula, have her room prepared and call for the physician. Aang get the guests to their rooms. Lu Ten!"

"I've summoned a palanquin to carry her to her room, Zuko. It'll be here shortly."

She was laying down and someone was beside her, gripping her hand. "Why didn't you listen to me?" Zuko sounded out of breath from her right. "I told you not to force yourself..."

Katara clenched her hands and felt cloth gripped in her other one. Someone was to her left. Who was she holding on to?

"I don't know what happened to her." Ozai. He sounded withdrawn. "She was speaking to me one moment and the next-"

"If you did something to her-"

"Zuko," Aang said from above him. Katara silently sent him her thanks. The commotion around her seemed to have quieted down and she opened her mouth.

She took a deep breath, half expecting hot smoke to fill her lungs again. Even though she inhaled fresh air, she still found herself coughing and lunging upwards as she gasped for air.

"Katara!" He was above her, looking down at her with those familiar gold eyes filled with worry. She couldn't have been unconscious for more than a few moments, but he looked disheveled.

"Zuko-"

"It's all right, Katara. It's over. It's over now." His arm was around her shoulder, propping her up against him as she coughed for air. He buried his face against her hair he held back a cry. "It's all right...you're safe."

She wasn't thinking about her safety. The dead woman's thoughts still weighted heavily in her mind and somehow, even when lost in a vision, she knew that. Wide, frantic eyes looked for the last person Ursa had seen.

"Ozai." Katara squinted and looked towards the man seated on the ground, to her left. Her hand was clutching a ball of cloth from his right sleeve. Behind her, Zuko went quiet. Ozai was looking away, keeping his eyes on her brown hand.

"You would not release me after you fell," he said. "You crossed the garden and wouldn't answer when I spoke. You grabbed my sleeve and would not move."

"It's true. You wouldn't let him go," Aang said, standing just beside Zuko. "Katara, do you want to rest first?"

"I will," she said, giving him a small nod. She turned to her left. "Did you know what happened? Do you know Ikem?"

Zuko lifted his head and across from him, Azula uncrossed her arms. They both knew that name. Ozai ground his teeth together and Katara saw one hand claw into the knee he was kneeling on.

"He came for her that night."

"What?" Zuko frowned. "You knew?"

"I had my men watch him the moment he entered the caldera."

"You know what he wanted," Katara said. Anger crossed Ozai's face once more and he shook. Katara slowly uncurled her fingers from his sleeve.

"Zuko! The palanquin arrived," Lu Ten said fro the entrance to the building.

Zuko slid his arms beneath her and prepared to lift her up. As he he did, Katara tugged on Ozai's sleeve. His defiant face dared to meet hers.

"I know she wanted to stay in Ember Island," he said in a low voice. "I've always known. It was the last thing she said to me."

He pulled his sleeve away and Zuko stood up, adjusting Katara in his arms as he turned towards the awaiting palanquin.

She felt sadness she never thought she would for Ozai and as Zuko lifted her into the litter, she looked past his shoulder and to the worn, angry man. He didn't understand.

Katara felt a cool cloth against her head as Azula ordered the palanquin up. As she was carried away from the building, she tried to call out to Ozai and correct him. "That's not what she meant." She felt her body growing heavier, demanding to rest after the shock of her vision. Did Ozai hear her?

"She wanted to stay  _here_."


	15. Chapter Fifteen

A plush settee was pushed against a wide window, and from where she sat across it, she watched the fireworks explode into the clear night sky. Their booming sound shook the palace and drowned out the noise from the coronation celebrations happening all over the city.

Katara made it through the coronation ceremony at dawn, having insisted on going despite Zuko worried she was too weak after her experience the night before. The mental and physical strain of visions where she saw what the dead did before they died varied, but it seemed that the stronger the emotions felt coupled with the length of of the vision determined how much she needed to recover.

"I won't be standing. I'll be seated nearly the whole time," she said that morning.

Physically, nothing was wrong with her. No injuries or trauma. Aang tried to explain it was chi that she lost, which caused her weakness and said that as long as she wouldn't exert herself, she would be fine with watching the coronation. Just in case, either he or Zuko were sure to say close. Azula also ordered court physicians standing by if she felt the slightest bit ill.

At the very least, worry over her seemed to distract Zuko from his father, who sat just two seats away, beside Azula, at the ceremony. He didn't come to see her the night before nor did he mention anything about it since. Katara thought he would surely come to her in the morning to demand what she saw, but Ozai didn't. He said nothing that morning aside from a few prayers and the royal vows echoed by both Azula and Zuko to their new Fire Lord.

Katara pushed her concerns from her mind. The coronation was not the time for her to try to clear up Ursa's last words. Aang said they would remain until the end of the week of celebrations, so she had some time and could think of a way to bring the sensitive topic up.

When they paraded around the city, Katara was with Zuko in a large palanquin carried by four kimodo rhinos. They were shielded from the adoring crowds by sheer red curtains that hung around them and she forewent the appropriate kneeling position in favor of stretching her legs out, seated between Zuko's, and leaning against him like a backrest.

No one could really see them and Zuko encouraged her to rest. Every block or so, he would ask how she was or assure her it would be over soon. He kept one arm around her and occasionally waved out of the curtains with the other one.

Their arrival back at the royal palace was a procession past the highest nobles of the Fire Nation. Lu Ten, wearing the second of his coronation robes, kept a stern, serious look on his face. His usual friendly demeanor was not fit for the situation, but he would relax once the major formalities were over.

Iroh, now simply titled Lord, followed behind his son, but wore a proud smile as he passed the rows of nobles kowtowed on either side of the walkway leading up to the palace. Beside him, Aang was dressed in rich orange robes with large beads draped over his body. He had presided over the start of the coronation, did an opening prayer, and led the temple in a final meditation before the coronation ended.

His glider was tied into a staff that jingled as he carried it beside him. "I don't have to do any more speeches, right?" he had asked Iroh.

"Not unless you want to do a toast later," the old man had chuckled.

Aang ended up doing one more toast, not to the Fire Lord, but to Lu Ten; the man who would carry the burdens of its title. Katara listened to it and found herself wiping her eyes at how strong and uplifting the speech was.

She refused to believe it was one of Aang's prewritten form speeches, but when he came to sit with them, he winked, looking immensely pleased with the crowd's reaction. "I told you it'd bring tears to your eyes."

Azula's hair was neatly woven into a red and gold head dress. Glass beads were dangling from its ends and despite what she claimed, Katara lifted it up and it  _was_ as heavy as it looked. Azula played a dual part in the coronation ceremony as a fire shrine maiden.

Katara was sure the cold look on her friend's face was real, as Azula did not want to be 'the one who holds a box with a pin'. She was riding a decorated mongoose dragon with four other shrine maidens on either side of her, holding up a silk canopy over her as they paraded. Upon reaching the steps of the palace, a soldier helped her down and she followed behind her uncle, still holding a now empty box that once held Lu Ten's golden fire emblem hair pin.

After her, Prince Ozai was helped off a palanquin also carried by four kimodo rhinos. His red robes reached the ground as he followed after the Fire Lord. He looked stern, but not angry. Iroh told Katara that he lectured Ozai to not look too sour, as it could be seen as disapproval with Lu Ten's appointment. Every little detail was taken into consideration.

The last of the royals to reach the palace was Zuko. While he outranked Azula by birth order, she had arrived before him as a shrine maiden. Not that he cared, though Katara did catch a brief look of surprise on his face when the Fire Sages read aloud the names of those still in line for the throne.

Azula was last, after Zuko. Ozai was first in line and would be so until Lu Ten had a child. The announcement reminded everyone that Lu Ten was still unwed.

"It's going to be a bloodbath," Azula whispered.

"I kind of feel bad for him," Aang said.

"No, let him suffer." Azula smirked. "Let him have a taste of all the scrutiny he's given me about suitors."

Upon arriving at the palace, wooden steps were pushed up to the palanquin and guards moved aside the curtains. Zuko stepped out, his hair pulled back and just long enough to be tied in a small bun. How the dressers were able to pin the flame emblem in so little hair was a miracle as far as Katara were concerned.

She followed after him, taking his hand to help steady her as she climbed out of the palanquin. The red robes were heavy and in the heat and humidity, she was sweating and could only hope it wasn't too visible. She stood at Zuko's side, his hand holding hers as he lifted his left arm. Her right arm rested above his as he escorted her into the palace under the gaze of critical nobles.

All she wanted to do was sit and perhaps remove a layer of robes and undo the tight braided hair coiled around her head. She had lasted until the midday meal and then finally tugged at Zuko's sleeve - a signal that she was ready to retreat.

Azula came with her and, at Lu Ten's insistence, gave her a room close to the festivities so she could at least hear the music and see part of the celebration. Azula's maids helped Katara undress and put her in her far more comfortable everyday clothes before undoing her braid. Metal pins and beaded clips she didn't realize adorned her were removed and each layer of her robes were hung on a stand to air out.

Finally, she was able to take a nap. As she laid in bed, she felt just how tired she was, but couldn't get to sleep before she returned to thoughts of Ursa.

Katara hadn't waited so long to convey a ghost's message before, so a sense of urgency lingered with her. In the morning, her mind told her. Ozai could not be taken from the celebration right then and there, anyway.

Azula returned to the party as Aang and Zuko came to check on her. It took some time to get away, Aang said. Zuko was cornered five times just leaving the celebration. Aang blessed the room to clean its energy and Zuko laid down beside her, urging her to sleep.

When she woke up, the sun had set and Zuko had fallen asleep beside her and was down to his last layer of robes. Unlike hers, his outer layers were draped over the foot of the bed. Katara smiled and snuggled closer to him. She felt his hand rest over her head and stroke her loose hair.

"Hungry?" he asked. His fingers slid through her long strands and she closed her eyes. It felt nice.

"A little."

"The fireworks are supposed to start soon...I think I can make it downstairs for some food and back up before anyone sees me," he said. She chuckled.

"Can you open the window so I can see the fireworks?"

"Aang moved a settee by the window just for that." He smiled. "Want to sit there?" He carried her across the room and on the settee before running back to the bed and getting some pillows to help prop her up. "I'll get us some dinner," he said as he leaned over her and caught her lips. She smiled and lifted her head to kiss him again before he stepped away.

"Something to drink, too."

"I'll be back in a bit."

Katara nodded. She turned to look out the window and felt him kiss the top of her head one last time before leaving. A few moments later, the first of the fireworks shot into the sky and exploded, filling the dark backdrop with bursts of gold-orange.

She leaned forward, resting her arms on the window sill as she watched the display. She didn't hear the door creak open, but caught the massive red door move from the corner of her eye. Still smiling, she turned around.

"You're back quick..." Her voice trailed off and the smile on her face faded. She sat up straight as the middle aged man stopped just behind the door as it closed, and bowed. "Your Highness..."

"My apologies for bothering you while you are resting, Katara." He sounded less like the man she had seen the last few days and more like the man she was acquainted with in the past: a solemn, reserved man who was preoccupied by his duties.

"Not at all, Your Highness." Katara pursed her lips. Was this it? Was this her chance to tell him and give him the reassurance Ursa tried to before she died? If it was, she would fulfill her purpose. Where should she begin? "I would like to apologize for calling you by your given name rather than your title last night. I was not myself-"

He lifted his hand to silence her as he remained standing across the room. "You lost consciousness for some time and didn't seem like yourself for longer. It would be petty of me to be angered by lack of formality in such a situation. In truth, I would like to apologize for not being of any aid to you."

Katara tilted her head to the side. "Sir, it was out of your hands."

"No, that isn't all. I took a gamble and knowingly put you in danger. I heard about your sight, which allows you to see the dead. Knowing that, I had Azula bring you to that building." Ozai seemed cautious as he tried to explain himself. It  _was_ an odd place for tailors to be placed, even royal ones. Katara would've been upset if she didn't want to find Ursa herself. Ozai unknowingly helped her this time. "I believed Ursa was trapped there as her death was not a peaceful one. If what I heard was true, then I thought you would be able to put her soul to rest should she have been lingering." He paused and seemed uncharacteristically unsure. "From what happened last night...was she?"

Katara narrowed her eyes.

"She was," Katara said. Ozai looked stung. Perhaps he wanted her to say otherwise or that the events of the night before were due to someone else.

"Then she was the reason you started acting...strange."

Katara held her breath. "What was strange - no. What did you see me do?" Ozai hesitated and Katara motioned for him to sit on a chair a few paces from her. He remained in place for a moment longer before slowly making his way across the room. He seemed to know he was out of place as he sat down. Katara tried to choose her words so as not to make things more awkward. "I'm afraid I'm not aware of what happens during such instances."

She caught a look of disappointment on his face. "Then, you don't remember what happened?"

"I didn't say that," Katara said. She looked at her hands and she knitted her fingers on her lap. "When my 'sight' takes me...back, sort to speak, I'm unaware of what my body is doing here, in the present. My mind is elsewhere; I'm seeing things that aren't really in front of me from a different time and through another's eyes. All I remember is that I walked across the garden."

She looked to Ozai, expecting him to fill in the information she was lacking. He exhaled a deep breath and looked past her, out the window.

"You started to walk across the garden and I ordered you to stop - I was not done speaking to you. You did not and I followed. When I tried to stop you, you walked right past, without so much as looking at me. From what I know of you, such an action isn't normal. I looked into your face and your eyes simply stared ahead, at the wall you were walking toward."

"There wasn't a wall there in the original building, was there?" Katara asked. Ozai looked ashen.

"There was a door. Your hand reached for a handle that was no longer there and when I tried to wake you from your daze, you wouldn't respond. I tried to leave to call for guards and your hand grabbed me..." He lifted his hand and touched the part of his sleeve where she had clung the night before. "Your strength...I never knew you were so strong."

Katara doubted it was her holding him back. "Then what happened?"

"I called for the guards. When you began to cry, I ordered for them to fetch the Avatar and my son at once. They arrived just as you collapsed and I tried to catch you to keep you from falling. It took some time longer for you to respond to Zuko."

She narrowed her eyes. "You called him your son and by his name."

A cold look reached Ozai once more and he frowned. "What do you suppose I call him?"

She took a deep breath. She didn't like his tone, but she had questions for him and she would get them answered.

"You didn't call him your son when he first returned. You spoke to him with such vitriol, he nearly left again." Ozai opened his mouth and, as if knowing he'd only say something to irritate her further, she cut him off. "I'ill tell you what I saw when Princess Ursa came for me if you tell me why you hate your son so much. And don't tell me it was because he disrespected you when he accused you. I know Zuko wanted to find out why his mother was caught in a fire and I know you forced an investigation to end. That's why he was upset with you and accused you."

"You think that his accusation was called for?" Ozai grabbed the arms of the chair and leaned forward, a snarl on his face. Katara held her ground, refusing to shrink back in surprise. "How could he think that I, his father, would kill his own mother?"

"Then why would you cancel the investigation to find out the truth?"

"Because I didn't want to her memory tainted!" Katara's eyes widened as Ozai shook. "I know where Ursa went that night and I know  _why_." He looked pained, as if that knowledge drained the life from him. "I told you last night that no one mourned for her more than I. Zuko and Azula...they lost their mother, but I lost my  _world_. With her, I was grateful for my place in life as a Prince of the Fire Nation because it led me to her. I would do anything to keep Ursa happy and the moments I spent with her and my family were the most joyous in my life.

"But I knew what she left behind on that island. I knew about the man she broke a childhood romance off with. I also knew that he would one day come for her and when that day came, she would leave." Ozai slumped back in the chair and lifted a hand to his head. His face was despondent as he stared at the floor. "But if she wanted to leave...if leaving made her happy, then I told myself I would let her go. She had given me ten years of a life any man could only dream of. It was enough."

Katara tears rim her eyes and she blinked to keep them at bay. "So you let her meet him that night. Ikem."

Ozai nodded. "I bid her goodnight and turned my back to her. I listened as she left our room - left me... to be with  _him_." He sounded disgusted and he ground his teeth. "I thought I could accept it. I had planned to tell the children that their mother disappeared. I didn't want the memory of their mother tainted by the fact that she left them to be with another man. There were witnesses that night that saw Ursa entering the condemned building and  _that man_ leaving. I stopped an investigation Zuko requested so that no one else would find out about what she was doing.

"If you ask me if I regret doing so, I don't. Still...I didn't intend for the argument to escalate as it did. Zuko never liked arguing with me. I thought he would stand down; I expected him to. Before I realized what happened, I burned him...the only son my Ursa left me. As he laid screaming on the floor, I could only look at him. I saw the infant she laid in my arms all those years ago; a physical manifestation of how much I loved her...broken by my own hand." Ozai shook his head slowly. "I couldn't accept it."

Katara looked away. "You banished him."

"I couldn't look at the shame I brought to her. I couldn't look at him and not know the shame."

They sat in silence as Katara wiped at her eyes and Ozai closed his to collect himself. Katara readied herself for a question she'd been asking since the first day.

"Do you hate Zuko?"

"No." It was almost surprising to hear. "I hate what I've done to him. I hate what the sight of his scar makes me feel. I burned him. I had him banished to avoid looking at my shame. He has every right to hate me...to reject me as his father."

"Would you take him back?" Katara found herself staring past Ozai, at the unmoving figure who crept through the door and froze when he saw them.

"Why would he come back?" Ozai laughed bitterly. "I don't deserve my son. Why would he accept such a pathetic man who hurt him as his father?"

She met Zuko's eyes. "Why would you accept Mother leaving you?" Ozai tensed in his chair, his face filling with horror as he turned towards the door. "Everyone does something inexplicable because they care about someone. Don't think that I don't know that Katara went to try to see Mother at her own risk for my sake."

Katara shook her head to dismiss his concern. "It wasn't a risk at all. It was something I wanted to do."

Ozai turned his head away, his hands gripping the ends of the chair arms so tight, they were white. "What I did to you is hardly comparable-"

"Father." Zuko stood up straight. "This scar is unacceptable and I will never forgive you for it, however...I should not have accused you of such atrocities. That was a line I shouldn't have crossed. I only wanted to know what led to the events of that night."

Ozai closed his eyes. "If you were standing there the whole time, then you heard. Ursa was going to leave with her former lover that night and the building caught fire. It was old and dry, ready to fall apart at any moment and had I know that is where they were meeting earlier, I would've been more vigilant. The building caught fire and collapsed before she could leave. I know how much you loved her...I couldn't allow her memory to be tarnished. I didn't want you to hate your mother for leaving."

"But she didn't leave with him," Katara said. She pushed herself up in her seat and Zuko crossed the room to assist her. Ozai kept his eyes on Zuko as he swept down beside Katara, like he did the night before, and adjust her pillows and stroke her hair back.

"Servants will bring food in a bit," Zuko said as he caressed her face and kissed her softly. "Azula said she'd bring up a surprise, too."

Katara smiled and scooted further back against the settee so he could sit beside her. Ozai remained across from them, rooted in his seat. His shoulders sunk and a regretful look appeared in his eyes.

"There was a time when she looked at me like that," he said, almost unheard. "I wish I could believe that she meant it."

Was this what Ursa had seen since she passed on? A shell of a man so lost in his own pain, he couldn't even accept her reassurance? Poor Ozai, but poorer Ursa.

"Your Highness," Katara said. "You answered my question and fulfilled your end of the bargain. If you have a moment, I'll complete mine." She felt Zuko's hand cover hers and weave his fingers between hers. "Once the vision started, I was there and I saw through her eyes and knew her thoughts. I remember her relief as she saw you rush in and shield your son from the ceiling as it began to collapse. I know that even through her pain, she thought you were the most noble man she'd ever seen and was proud to be married to you.

"Her last thought wasn't of regret. It was reassurance. She wanted you to know that she wanted to stay  _here_. That night, she went to reject Ikem, but a lantern was knocked over during their argument. It was an accident and neither of them were benders. The dry wood caught on fire and it spread quickly. Usra tripped and fell against the old bed. It collapsed under her weight and twisted her ankle in the fall. Ikem panicked and rushed out. That was when Zuko came trying to save her. It was difficult for her to stand and she couldn't get away when the roof began to come down. That was when the beam fell over her..."

Ozai lifted his hand to his mouth as he stared ahead of him. She knew he remembered and could see the pain in his face. In Ursa's memories, she felt a resigned acceptance upon the realization she wouldn't survive, but for Ozai to have come in and seen it, helpless to do anything...

"I couldn't save her." Ozai's voice was choked. "I lifted the beam and...she was crushed. Her legs were nearly torn off and her stomach...She was covered in blood."

"The guards dragged him away, but not before she told him she wanted to stay" Katara said, squeezing Zuko's hand as he stared down, pale and unnerved by what he just learned. "And she wasn't talking about Ember Island. She was talking about staying here." She looked back at Ozai and his tear covered face and sunken eyes. "She didn't want to leave the life she made. She wanted to stay at the palace. She wanted to stay with her children. She wanted to stay with  _you_."

The old prince hunched forward, covering his face in his hands as he trembled in his seat. Beside her, Zuko shook and she wrapped her arms around him. He closed his eyes, gritting his teeth as tears streamed down his face. Katara drew him against her, enveloping him against her body as he had done for her so many times before.

The fireworks were long over and the three of them remained seated with only the sound of faint music wafting into the room. She chose not to say anything as long moments passed. As Katara stroked Zuko's back, Ozai wiped his face with his sleeves, trying to regain his composure.

He grasped the arms of the chair and pushed himself up.

She looked up as he stood. "Your Highness?"

"I should go and return to the celebration," he said. The tremble in his firm voice almost went unnoticed. "If I'm gone too long, it will seem as if I disapprove of Lu Ten's coronation."

He turned around and Zuko looked up. "Father, are you all right-"

"Don't ask me something so ridiculous." Katara bit her lip, taken aback by how cold his voice sounded once more. "Of course I'm not all right." Ozai looked over his shoulder and gave him a glare. "For years I believed Ursa was going to leave me and only death stopped her. Now, I find out that it was death that took her away. And even worse, my ignorance of her wishes led me to burn my own son and send him away for eight years! Eight years, I lost my son with my own hand. I am not ' _all right_ '," Ozai said once more, sounding so appalled by the thought. "But I am not so unwell that I would risk taking away what time with you she has given back to me."

Zuko's eyes widened as Ozai swept across the room and headed towards the door. He pulled the door open and paused before walking outside. Without turning around to look back at them, he spoke.

"Welcome home."

The door slammed shut and Zuko stared at it, as if unsure what else to do. Katara placed her hand on his chest.

"Zuko?" She lifted her hand and wiped at the corners of his eyes. He didn't answer and she wondered if her recount of his mother's death was too much for him or if it was his father's words that shook him. She placed her forehead on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She was still at fault for bringing that weight to him. "I'm sorry. I know you told me that I didn't need to look for your mother."

Zuko lowered his eyes. "Part of me hoped she wasn't here. That her spirit was at rest - not like all the ones you've seen so far who are tied to the living world, searching for something and suffering. If you couldn't see her, then she wasn't suffering...but I couldn't help but think she still would be."

"She loved you so much," Katara said. "When she saw you fall through that door, Zuko...she was terrified. I can't describe what she felt when your father arrived and saved you."

He nodded slowly and turned to look at her. "Did she stay on as a spirit because of my father?"

"Last night, he was there and we raised our voices. He said I thought he killed her, too, and when he thought about doing so...he was in so much pain. He was suffering. Your mother knew he didn't understand and when I looked at him, there she was."

"My mother?" Zuko asked, looking hopeful. Katara nodded and stroked his cheek.

"She looked so sad as she stood behind him. Her arms lifted and she put them around your father. She was behind him and did this." Katara lowered her head and rested it against his shoulder once more. She smiled a bit. "I see the connection now."

"To what?"

"To you." Katara kept her head against him. "When something bad happened and I was crying and shaking, you'd put your arms around me and keep your head against mine." She felt his arm go around her body and his chin rest atop her head. "She stayed for him, Zuko."

"I understand," he said as she tilted her head to look up at him. "The day we left the Southern Air Temple, I couldn't explain why I climbed on to Appa's saddle. I get it now...I wanted to stay with you."

Her arms rose and wrapped around his neck as his lips pressed against hers. Their eyes closed as they twisted their bodies, removing any space between them as he laid beside her on the narrow settee and pinned her soft, warm body against him and the cushions.

His hair fell around her face he placed his forehead atop hers. Katara relaxed beneath him and felt his warm breath against her skin. For a moment, she lost herself in a warm, heady feeling of bliss, content to be with a someone who made her so happy. Was this how Ursa felt?

 _Ah_...she understood.

As Zuko lifted his head, she heard him whisper and her eyes flew open. He hovered above her, smiling with flushed cheeks and a look of hope.

"What...?" For a moment, she thought she misheard him. Perhaps she lost consciousness once more and she was seeing what some lucky spirit saw at one time in their life.

"I love you," he said, balancing himself on one arm as he lifted a small gold pin shaped like a flame and slipped it between them. She caught her breath as she stared at him with wondrous eyes. "And I want to stay with you in this life and the next, wherever it takes us. Will you?"

Her vision blurred and she felt something hot sliding down the corners of her eyes.

"If I wake up...and you're just a spirit..." She wouldn't know how she'd live.

He smiled wider. "You won't and I'm not."

Her hand wrapped around his hand holding the pin. "Thank you for coming with me on this journey, Zuko...I love you," she whispered. Her forehead met his as she choked back a laugh. "And yes, I will."

She'd never seen so much joy on his face.

He was elated and pulled her with him, wrapping his arms around her as she sat across his lap, giggling as he kissed her lips, her nose, her cheeks. He laughed, throaty and almost relieved as he fumbled with her hair. She reached back and pulled it up, working into a simple bun and then guiding his hands to place the pin in her hair.

As he lowered his arms, he stared at her with an awestruck expression, as if he couldn't believe she was in front of him. Katara looked back at him, her own look softening as her hands cupped his face. His eyes glistened in the lantern light as he seemed to take the sight of her in.

"Thank you."

She lowered her head and kissed him.

Gently, she felt herself tipping backwards, resting against the cushions of the settee as he moved on top of her, his mouth following the curve of her jaw and down her slender neck. He kissed the base of her throat and moved his hands beneath the band of her top.

She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, her hands combing up and down his back as he went lower and lower. The feel of his hands against her and the scent of his hair closed off the rest of the world and she didn't know anything but him at that moment.

"Food's here - ah!" Aang's unexpected yelp of surprise filled the room and Katara felt all her senses rushing in, reminding her of where she was and that the door was not locked.

"Aang!" Zuko was up and off of her. Somehow, before Aang's yelp was even finished, Zuko was already on the far end of the settee, trying to put as much distance between them as possible.

Katara wanted to laugh at how disheveled and embarrassed he looked. She doubted anyone could see where his hands were from that angle and his flustered reaction probably surprised Aang more. After all, Aang always saw them together.

Katara pushed herself up and looked over her shoulder to tell Aang to put the food on the circular table in the room.

Her amused smile dropped from her face and a moment later she was scrambling to stand up, more flustered than Zuko. He stood up beside her and seemed to want to help her up, but hesitated touching her.

Aang wasn't alone nor was he with the servants Zuko said were supposed to bring them dinner. With a disgusted look on her face, Azula was standing just beside him. However, she wasn't who unsettled Katara.

Right beside Azula was a surprised, but giggling, tiny old woman in blue. She seemed both intrigued and pleased to find them in a compromising position. The same could not be said of the figure looming behind Aang with a look of utter displeasure.

"Gran-gran! Grandpa!"

Dressed in blue with a long beard and narrowed eyes fixed firmly on Zuko was a tall old man with silver hair and a tight lipped frown.

"Katara." Pakku's droll voice was clipped ad she lowered her head. "And you," he said, his sharp blue eyes boring into Zuko. "Must be the reason my granddaughter won't return to get married."

Katara couldn't move and no words seemed to come to mind as she stood across from her grandparents. Were they the surprise Zuko said Azula was bringing?

"Oh..." The princess' voice filled in the silence and Katara felt her skin rise at the smugness in Azula's voice. "I don't think you need to worry about marrying  _her_ off."

"Azula!" Zuko was halfway across the room before Katara realized it. He looked frantic. "Thank you for bringing them. Master Pakku, Elder Kana, please, have a seat." He motioned one hand to the chairs near Katara's settee as he wedged himself between the two seniors and his sister. "Aang, have the servants put the food on the table. Azula!" He turned around and Katara couldn't see the face he was making. "Can I see you outside, please?"

She was almost sure Azula was going to deny him, but after an agonizing moment, she agreed. She looked towards Katara's grandparents and bowed her head.

"I will send some more food this way for you, as well, esteemed elders. If you will excuse us..." She gave her brother a smirk as she turned around.

Two servants entered after her, each carrying a large tray of food.

"Well," her grandmother said as Aang helped her into a chair. "We seem to have intruded upon something."

Katara felt her face heat up. "Gran-gran, no. We were just talking. How are you two?"

"We're well, Katara, but we came here to see you. The Avatar has told us about your vision last night," Pakku said as he took a seat beside his wife. "We can get to your Fire Nation emblem pin later." She lifted her hand to her hair, forgetting that it was there.

"Yes, I'm sure you have much to tell us," her grandmother said, still smiling.

"Tell us first," Pakku said, leaning forward with a look of concern on his face. "How are you doing?"

* * *

"Well that was rude of you, Zu-zu," Azula said as she walked ahead of her brother. "Wouldn't it be proper to introduce yourself to your future in laws?"

"That can wait," Zuko said, his face still flushed red. "Why didn't you tell me her grandparents arrived?"

"I said I had a surprise."

"A surprise, not her grandparents!"

"I suppose you mean her parents," Azula said. "Who are also here."

"What?" He stopped behind her, his arms falling to his side as he stared at the back of his sister's head. "Her  _parents_ are here?"

"Father is talking to them," Azula said. She looked over her shoulder. "I noticed him coming from his wing earlier. Did you two have a little chat?"

Zuko let out a sigh. "Yes. Katara told him what happened in exchange for him telling her why he..." He paused for a moment and touched the scar across his eye. "Why he did this."

Azula stared at him, an unreadable expression on her face. "I see," she said in a dull voice. "Have you straightened out your differences?

"For the most part."

"Then is it my turn?"

Zuko narrowed his eyes. Was she angry at him? The thought suddenly filled his mind and he felt stupid for overlooking it. He was so consumed with his relationship with his father that his relationship with his sister was ignored, especially when she spoke to him so easily in the same smug, condescending voice she did with everyone.

Then again, she did shoot lightning at him when he first arrived and while Katara said that was the way Azula just was, part of him couldn't believe that wholeheartedly.

He grew too comfortable in the last few days and he frowned to himself. Despite his concern, he did want to see her again and he didn't mean to ignore their strained sibling relationship.

"Azula, I'm sorry about leaving without saying good-bye." Zuko jumped into it, not wanting to prolong the estrangement further. "What happened...it happened quickly and before I knew it, I was on a ship bound for the Earth Kingdom. I had little communication and I hoped that when Lu Ten returned, he was able to explain to you why I wasn't there and why I couldn't really write back often. I do regret not being there for important moments in your life."

"Important moments?" Azula raised one elegant eyebrow.

"Your graduation from school," he said. "Your firebending mastery test."

She lifted a hand and gave him a dismissing wave. "Is that all? Don't concern yourself too much with them."

"Still," Zuko continued. "You're my younger sister and I wanted to be there for you. We already lost mom and then I was sent away."

She narrowed her eyes and frowned. "If you're implying that I was lonely-"

"You were," Zuko said in a stern voice. "Because I was. For the first decade of my life, I had a little sister and suddenly, I existed in a vacuum without her. Even if we weren't close and argued all the time, I was glad you were there. When I saw Katara with her brother, I wondered how we would've turned out if eight years and an ocean didn't separate us. I was a bit intimidating to see them so relaxed around each other."

"That's because they're so simple," Azula said with a haughty scoff. "They've always been close as long as I've known them. Sokka enjoys teasing Katara so, but he is an attentive brother. At times, when we were younger, he tried to treat me as such and I nearly set him on fire for his impudence. I didn't want a brother such as him."

Zuko couldn't help but feel saddened by that. Was Azula that resentful? "Azula, I'm sorry-"

"I already  _had_  a brother and he wasn't a bumbling fool who felt the need to protect me every step of the way," Azula said in a sharp voice. " _My_  brother was fully aware of my abilities and acknowledged me. He never saw me as inferior and wasn't afraid to fight me when it mattered. I didn't want Sokka as a brother, I wanted the one I already  _had_."

Her tone was harsh and her glare was sharp, as if she were demanding an apology instead of telling him that she missed him.

"That's the sister I remember," he said, cracking a small, fond smile. "I missed you, too, Azula."

She clenched her jaw and he could see her eyes glisten for just a moment before she blinked back tears and maintained her impeccable composure.

"You're as soft as ever, dum-dum," she said, turning around. The edge in her voice was dulled. "Katara really can do better."

Zuko smiled. Dum-dum, huh? For as mature an outward appearance Azula put on, he supposed his sister was still his little sister. And for that, he was thankful. He walked forward, quickening his pace to catch up with his sister.

"She can," he said. "But it's lucky for us that isn't."

"At the very least, I can commend you on your taste in partner." She didn't speed up and seemed to allow him to walk alongside of her. "Will Katara be moving here?"

"No," Zuko said. "We don't plan to stay."

Azula looked somewhat concerned. "Then the Southern Water Tribe?"

"Not there either."

Azula stopped and gave him a suspicious look. "Then, my dear brother...what is your plan?"

* * *

"Do you know what you're getting yourself into, Katara? Considering everything that you've experienced so far, is this the decision you've made?"

She recalled her last conversation with her grandparents before they and her parents returned to the Southern Water Tribe. Katara walked down a now familiar corridor, to an unpainted wing of the palace.

Her family only planned to stay for a few days to give their greetings to the new Fire Lord and to try to catch her before she left once more.

Still, Katara couldn't remember the last time she felt a week dragged on. With parties every night, she thought that their time in the Fire Nation would pass quickly. Perhaps it would've, had the arrival of her family and the announcement of her engagement to Zuko not sent her into a vortex of stress and unwanted attention.

It had taken her some time to assure her family that she made a sound decision in continuing on with the Avatar and with Zuko. They were indispensable in her journey so far and she couldn't have progressed as she did without them.

"From everything we've read, my sight can't be sealed permanently. That's something I've wanted all my life, but Aang doesn't believe it can be done," Katara told them. "Or that is should be."

"But to live a life of seeing what others can't...to confuse the dead for the living and the living for the dead, as well as become engulfed in their pain whether or not you wish to be. Is that really what you want?" Pakku pressed. Katara should've figured he would be questioning her decision the most.

"What one wants and what one needs aren't always the same thing," Kanna said, calm beside Katara. "Like the world needs an Avatar, perhaps it also needs someone like Katara."

"Kanna, you've seen what it's done to her," Pakku said, looking worried. It touched Katara and she secretly forgave him for arranging prospective suitors for her back in the South. In the end, he would have to break the news that she had chosen another.

"And right now," Kanna said, confident. "I can see what it has resulted in. Katara has not fallen. She is strong and I've never seen her so happy." She grasped Katara's chin and gave her a loving squeeze. Katara was sure she was making a note more about her engagement than her vision.

Katara nodded anyway. It was important to her that those who had stood by her and watched her suffer all those years support her now, when she chose to keep the sight she fought so vehemently against for so long. "Records of those with similar ability were found in Ba Sing Se and almost all of them ended tragically."

"Almost?" Pakku asked.

"There was a man who accepted his vision and would take long walks alone, speaking to himself. He died peacefully in his sleep at at ripe old age," Katara said. "Of all the occurrences, he was the only one who didn't fight his sight, but embraced it."

"Do you believe that by embracing it, you won't suffer?"

"I believe that by embracing it, I will find balance and bring peace to those who died without it," Katara said. "That's why I'll continue to follow the Avatar and assist him where I can on his journeys. The more I experience and see, the more I control the outcome of what my vision grants me. I still can't tell the difference without confirming the reaction of others around me, but maybe that will come with time."

"Can you not embrace your vision back home?" Her grandfather had sounded disappointed. "Flying to the far flung reaches of the world won't be easy and your experiences won't always be pleasant."

"I know, but I can only do so much back home. Remaining abroad is the best way for me to get used to my vision. I've already put many souls to rest, Grandpa, but can do more."

"Always wanting to help," Pakku said, cupping her face affectionately with one hand. "My little Katara. You were always stronger than anyone gave you credit for. Myself included. I always feared the spirits cursed you, but perhaps they choose wisely."

"They did," Kanna said in a proud voice. "It would be good for her to stay with the Avatar, as well. Who better than to help guide her spiritually on her journey?"

Pakku looked resigned. "I suppose..."

"And her husband will be with her, too."

Katara's face heated up as Pakku's turned red with irritation. "They're not married yet," he said in a clipped voice. "Nor have I accepted him."

"It doesn't matter if you do. The point is that Katara has." Kanna squeezed Katara's hand. "It's a shame we can't stay longer. I would've liked to get to know him better."

"We're scheduled to visit the Southern Water Tribe in a few weeks, Gran-Gran," Katara said. "For the high tide festival. You can get to know him then."

"It's a shame he's been tied up in marriage negotiations with your father and Prince Ozai," Kanna said. "But, I suppose that is the nature of the matter."

Where Katara was leaving with Aang and Zuko in a few moments, her grandparents and parents left the day before.

The negotiations for what each family would give the couple and each other still weren't complete. Her family and Zuko's were unable to complete the marriage details. Ozai kept insisting that their official residence should be in the Fire Nation, even if they were off with the Avatar. Hakoda wanted his yet-to-be-born grandchildren in the South, especially if they were waterbenders. That launched Ozai into a tirade on Zuko's family's long history of firebending.

Katara decided to leave the negotiations to them. Her focus would be on her vision and aiding the Avatar with Zuko.

Katara's walk from the palace finally brought her to the entrance of the rebuilt wing. She noticed a pile of paints and brushes piled in one corner. Now that Ursa was at rest and Ozai was comfortable knowing that, he agreed to let the building be repainted to match the rest of the palace.

A few doors were closed, as there were still some guests remaining. Katara took a deep breath. The air was fresh and she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Nothing drew her attention and a woman in red no longer directed her to a bare wall.

Months earlier, she had refused to give Zuko aid using her sight. In the end, she not only did it, but she had done so even after he told her not to. How much changed in so little time...

"Katara?" She turned around and saw Zuko approaching her from the hall, giving her a quizzical look. "What are you doing here? Is something wrong?"

"No, no," Katara said, looking back up at the courtyard. Its bare, natural wood would be painted over the next day, once the last of the guests had moved out. It would become a harmonious part of the palace once more. "I just...I wanted to see if she's still here."

He stopped beside her and looked around. "Is she?"

"No. I don't see her at all."

"Does that mean she's at rest?" Zuko asked.

"I think so. Your father knows how she felt now. I've seen ghosts who sort of just linger with no malice or regret before, though. I saw some in towns and cities who didn't even acknowledge me, but the people they were following didn't see them. I don't know why they would stay behind. No one knows you're there."

"Maybe what they regret is leaving someone behind." She felt his arms wrap around her shoulders as he stood behind her. Katara leaned back against him and took a deep breath. She could understand that reasoning.

"You know, it's kind of sad. I wonder if it was like she was saying good-bye to your father all over again." She could still see the red figure embracing her living partner and the look of sadness on her face.

"Maybe. But what matters now is that she's no longer suffering." He kissed the top of her head and Katara raised her hands to hold on to his arm. "Come on...they're waiting for us." She turned them around and began to walk out, still holding on to him. In comfortable silence, they walked through the halls, to the courtyard where Appa was waiting.

Supplies were neatly strapped to his saddle and Aang stood beside him, talking to Iroh. Soldiers lined the courtyard as Azula stood waiting with Lu Ten by the stairs. She saw them first and stood up straight. "It took you long enough. Did you sleep in?"

"No, we just went for a walk," Zuko said. Lu Ten grinned.

"Sure...a 'walk'."

"Stop it."

"Everything is ready for your departure," Azula said, leading them down to the courtyard. "Do return and visit again sometime. Especially you, Zu-zu...this is your home."

"Thanks, Azula."

Katara chuckled and quickened her speed to reach Azula's side. "I'll miss you, too." Next to Appa, Azula stopped and Katara put her arms around her. The princess' hand patted her on the back.

"You can be a bit more affectionate, Azula. She's going to be your sister, you know," Lu Ten said with a lopsided smile. Azula gave him a sharp glare from over Katara's shoulder.

"If you wish to nullify your engagement to my brother, I'll understand," Azula said as she pulled away from Katara.

"And lose you as a sister?" She grinned. "Tempting." Zuko smirked.

"Are you two ready to go?" Aang asked, hands on his waist and ready to continue on. "We have a long way to go today."

"We're ready, Aang." Katara said. She looked at Iroh and bowed. "Thank you for your hospitality, Lord Iroh."

"The pleasure is all mine." Iroh bowed back. She turned her attention to Lu Ten.

"Until next time, Fire Lord," Katara said, repeating her bow. "Thank you for having us."

"Thank you for all you've done, Master Katara." Lu Ten gave her a small bow of his head. "Take care of yourself and my cousin." He looked towards Zuko and smiled. "And you...you have no reason to stay away now, so I expect you to return often. That's an order from the Fire Lord."

Zuko smiled. He lifted his fist to his other palm and bowed. Before he could reach a full bow, he was pulled into a strong embrace. Crushed against his cousin, Zuko looked confused for just a moment before extending his arms and hugging Lu Ten back.

As soon as Lu Ten released him, Iroh took hold, muttering how proud he was of Zuko and how he couldn't wait until the wedding.

"Brother," Azula said as he turned around. Katara watched with interest from Appa's tail as she was lifted up. Azula didn't seem sure if she wanted to hug Zuko or not. Instead, after two awkward attempts to extend her arms, she opted to give him a bow. "Safe journey and safe return."

As if knowing it would make her uncomfortable, Zuko didn't hug Azula. He mirrored her bow and hid his smile. "At least this time, we're able to have an actual good-bye." Azula tensed as he stood up straight. "We'll see each other again soon, Azula."

He stepped back and prepared to climb Appa's side to reach the saddle where Katara and Aang were waiting.

"Zuko." A voice stopped him and he looked over his shoulder. Ozai stood several paces away, a stern look on his face. Despite clearing the air between them days earlier, Ozai still hardly saw Zuko since. Katara wasn't sure if it was because he was caught up in other things or if he just felt awkward around his son. However, she took comfort in the fact that he wasn't avoiding Zuko because he hated him.

The courtyard was quiet, waiting for him to speak. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

Zuko stood up straight. He met his father's eyes before bowing and breaking the silence. "I will be leaving now, Father." It was a simple, formal declaration rather than a moving good-bye, but it was far more than either expected to part with.

Ozai closed his mouth and gave him a curt nod. "Then safe travels to you and your companions."

"Yes, Father." Zuko turned around and grabbed hold of Appa's fur. Katara leaned over the saddle and grasped his arm, helping him into the saddle. As he took his seat beside her, he heard his name once more.

"Zuko!" Everyone seemed to turn back to Ozai brought his hands to his chest as he bowed his head to Zuko. "Safe return, my son."

Katara watched Zuko seem to stare at his father a moment longer. He gave Ozai a small nod and replied in a firm voice. "I'll return soon, Father." Katara reached over and squeezed his knee as she smiled at him.

"Okay, everyone stand back!" Aang said from his seat at the front of the saddle. "Appa! Yip yip!"

A gush of air seemed to come from beneath the massive animal as Appa let out a snort. Below them, Azula and the others stepped back as the sky bison rose into the air. Katara looked over the edge of the saddle to wave as they ascended.

Zuko looked down, watching Lu Ten and Iroh wave back, and Azula and Ozai bow. They rose into the clouds and the royal family, the palace, and soon the crater city itself disappeared from view.

Katara leaned back against Appa's saddle. "So what's in the southern Earth Kingdom that they need you for?"

"They're rebuilding a temple and wanted the Avatar's blessing," Aang said. "It's an old, holy place, but a few day travel from here, so get some rest." He looked over his shoulder and smiled as Katara and Zuko sat beside each other, looking at him with patient eyes. "They're also rededicating an adjacent cemetery and wanted me to bless that, too. I don't know for sure, but I have a feeling there'll be those in need of your help there." He looked looked at her and Katara knew he already had his answer. "Would you be able to help?"

A small, proud smile appeared on her face as a sense of anticipation and determination filled her. "Of course." The wind swept past her. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened her eyes once more. "It's what I was born to do."

* * *

**The End**

 


End file.
